Connecticut Exams Cost of Care

HARTFORD, Conn. -- State legislators are deep into a controversial study: Can the private sector provide cheaper and even better care for the intellectually disabled than a government institution?
The answer is increasingly clear. But it's also very complicated — and may provide a true test of whether Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's vision of cutting spending but preserving services actually can work.
It's far less expensive to use private nonprofit organizations to care for our neediest citizens. An ongoing study by the General Assembly's Program Review and Investigation Committee again confirms this: It costs about $321,983 per client at the Southbury Training School — home to more than 400 — while private groups provide the same care at about $168,786 annually.