Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) urged the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) to hold power utility Avangrid accountable for its “broken promises” to United Illuminating (UI) and UIL Holdings retirees.
In an Aug. 27 letter sent to PURA Chair Marissa Paslick Gillett, Sen. Looney urged the authority to require Avangrid to honor commitments made during its 2015 acquisition of UI.
“When United Illuminating was acquired by Avangrid, the agreement included guarantees that retirement benefits (including pensions and healthcare) would not be adversely affected by this transaction,” Looney wrote.
“However, as the attached documents (to the letter) illustrate, on June 30, 2025, non-union UI/UIL retirees received a notice from Avangrid stating that, effective January 1, 2026, it plans to eliminate the current Medicare Part B premium reimbursement and transition the current Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) to a contingent HRA.”
According to Looney, that would reduce the annual base subsidy by almost half for each retiree and their eligible dependents.
As laid out by Avangrid, under the new HRA plan, UI will deposit additional subsidies into retirees’ accounts that can be used for eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses. The base subsidy in the HRA account, totaling $1,000, can also be used to pay for all plan premiums, including Medicare Part B premiums.
“UI is adjusting its retiree benefits packages to align with recent innovations in the healthcare marketplace,” said Sarah Wall Fliotsos, UI/UIL spokesperson. “With out-of-pocket medical expenses consistently on the rise, we are glad to be able to offer an additional $3,000 to help offset these costs in the new ‘variable subsidy’ offering under this revised healthcare plan for UI and UIL retirees.
“As always, we remain committed to ensuring we are offering best-in-class healthcare options for our retirees, while considering the costs of any programs that are borne by all our customers.”
Looney also noted the company’s current request to raise rates, writing: “It appears disingenuous for the company to claim it needs to increase rates to cover retiree costs at the same time it is breaking its promises and cutting retiree benefits.”
The retirees themselves have raised these concerns. In letters dated July 29, 2025, and August 19, 2025, a group of more than 200 retirees called on Avangrid to cancel its planned actions and asked PURA to enforce the company’s commitments to employees.
“I urge you to include in the rate case decision a requirement that Avangrid live up to its longstanding commitment to its retirees,” Looney wrote in the letter to PURA.
