Vermont moves towards Canadian-style health care system
Different from the 49 other states and more like a Canadian system, Vermont is building a single-payer health system that will move many state residents into a publicly financed insurance program and pay hospitals, doctors and other providers a set fee to care for patients.
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin had no problem getting the bill passed by the democratic-controlled legislature and says the new program, called Green Mountain Care, will replace the traditional insurance plans currently used in the state and the traditional fee-for-service reimbursements.
Like any major overhaul, there are still details that need to be worked out, including the key issue of financing, and Shumlin says keeping costs under control is the main issue. “Under the plan, single payer coverage will be a right and not a privilege, and will not be connected to employment,” said Shumlin, “This is groundbreaking. But our success in guaranteeing coverage depends on our ability to control health care costs, so our plan is focused squarely on that goal.”
It will be a trendsetting initiative as no other state has tried such a dramatic restructuring of its health care system, but the governor saw a problem and wanted to fix it. “Every state in the nation faces a crisis in terms of health care costs rising faster than our ability to pay,” said Anya Rader Wallack, who will chair the Green Mountain board. “What’s unique about Vermont is that we have a governor who has said, ‘I want to fix this problem,’ and he’s put us on a tight timeline for fixing it.”
