Editorials

VTDigger This commentary is by Robert Gardner of Rochester. He is a retired television journalist. The radical and ill-conceived proposal to close Gifford Medical Center as part of an overall plan to reduce health care costs in Vermont reminds me of a good friend who was suffering from cancer and was given very aggressive chemotherapy. […]

VTDigger This commentary is by Emily Jankowski of Derby, a licensed clinical mental health counselor. I grew up in Derby, and after moving away for many years, decided to return to the Northeast Kingdom to raise my own family, and work as a mental health therapist. I genuinely believe there is no better place to […]

Vermont Standard By Kurt Staudter While the presidential cycle swirls around us like an angry tornado, now finally showing signs that it’s coming to an end (the ballots have arrived), let’s take on a subject that should be on the minds of all wannabe state lawmakers: Systemic healthcare reform. Last week, yet another report was […]

HEALTH CARE –un-covered Deb Richter and Ethan Parke Could a state, or the federal government, set up a system of universal primary care as a first step toward comprehensive, publicly funded health care for all? The experience of Vermont suggests that such a program is worth looking at, if for no other reason than to […]

VTDigger This commentary is by: Rebecca Bell, MD, president of the Vermont Medical Society; Breena Holmes, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics VT Chapter; Anne Morris, MD, president of the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians; Priscilla Carr, MD, governor of the American College of Physicians VT Chapter As primary care clinicians and physician […]

VTDigger This commentary is by Ethan Parke of Montpelier, a board member of Vermont Health Care for All. Don’t tell me that Vermont is addressing the affordability of health care. It’s not. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s table of average marketplace premiums by metal tier, Vermont is by far the most expensive state in […]

VTDigger On August 12, the Green Mountain Care Board approved a 19.8% increase for BlueCross BlueShield premiums on Vermont Health Connect individual plans, along with a 22.8% increase for small group plans. This is the third year in a row with double-digit rate increases. As a longtime member of the Vermont Workers’ Center, I’ve been […]

Vermont Standard Leading up to the elections, I’ve become increasingly frustrated there hasn’t been a spirited discussion on any number of important issues. Forget for a moment the foolishness happening on the top of the tickets in November, and instead let’s revisit some of those challenges we face as a state and a nation. I […]

iBrattleboro The alarm is being sounded. Vermont’s health care system is in crisis and if we don’t take serious measures to change things the non-system we have will become financially unsustainable by 2030. According to a recent article in The Commons, “Dr. Bruce Hamory and his team were hired by the Green Mountain Care Board […]

VTDigger This commentary is by Lee Russ of Bennington, a retired legal editor who was lead editor and author of the third edition of “Couch on Insurance” and the “Attorneys Medical Advisor.” Vermont is currently conducting a public debate about the financial health of the state’s hospitals. That’s a crucial question. Just as crucial is […]