As UConn Health finalizes its bid to buy three hospitals, officials are also making the case that this is the right thing for patients and for taxpayers.

UConn Health Chairman John Driscoll said the Board of Directors had been looking for expansion opportunities after a recommendation from a consultant last year.

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The consultant, in a report , noted UConn Health averaged a budget shortfall of $140 million annually from 2020 to 2023.

That led to talks about acquiring Day Kimball and Bristol hospitals.

But as officials tried to build state support, including for the possibility of funding, talks also eventually shifted to include a third: Waterbury Hospital.

"There's a clear path to more scale that I think we can

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