There Goes that $100 Million Again.

What’s the state of that $100 million for the University of Connecticut’s hospital and medical school in the evolving health care bill? “That’s not going to be something that’s in this final package,” President Barack Obama told Fox’s Brett Baier.  A few minutes later the president seemed confused about Baier’s persistent inclusion of the special provision for Connecticut inserted in December by Senator Christopher Dodd, less than two weeks before he abandoned his beleaguered re-election bid.

The inclusion of the $100 million in the Senate health care bill came as a surprise to other Connecticut hospital officials.  Governor M. Jodi Rell announced a new UConn hospital and health network plan on March 9th.  The $352 million proposal relies on the $100 million from the federal health care bill.

The president’s nixing of the UConn funding in yesterday’s interview contradicts his spokesman’s clarification last week that the president did not oppose the funding.