Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed a Middlebury College economics professor to fill a vacancy on the Green Mountain Care Board.
Jessica Holmes replaces Karen Hein, who didn’t seek a re-appointment when her term ended. Holmes will serve a six-year term.
“Jessica has extensive academic and professional experience in health care economics,” Shumlin said. “She comes to the board with an in-depth knowledge of how the health care system is funded currently, and the ability to analyze options for controlling costs now and into the future.”
“I hope to bring an economist’s lens and analytical toolkit to the Board,” Holmes said. “Using data to better understand how and where our resources are spent can help us improve efficiency, and therefore increase health care access and quality.”
The five-member Green Mountain Care Board’s mission is to reduce the rate of growth in health care costs, regulate hospital spending and capital expenditures, and curb the growth in health insurance rates.
Board Chairman Al Gobeille welcomed Holmes’ selection, saying, “Jessica’s skills and expertise will be crucial as we gauge the effects of reform both on the health care system and on Vermont’s economy.”
Holmes of Cornwall, Vt., graduated from Colgate University and went on to receive her PhD in Economics — with expertise in Health Economics, Labor Economics, Public Finance, and Microeconomics — from Yale University.
In addition to being a professor, Holmes is director of MiddCORE, Middlebury’s leadership and innovation program. She serves on the Porter Medical Center Board.