Editorials

Burlington Free Press By Paul Cillo Last year, some of Vermont’s largest employers spent 10 percent of payroll or more on health insurance for their employees. A large majority (95 percent) of these businesses provided coverage equivalent to “gold” or “platinum” plans — that is, plans in which the insurer covers a minimum of 80 […]

Bernie Sanders,U.S. Senator for Vermont, Newsroom   It is a good day for 30 million uninsured Americans who will have access to healthcare. It is a good day for seniors who will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as the so-called doughnut hole goes away. It is a good day for small […]

VTDigger Editor’s note Garrett Martin is the executive director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy [1]. He has been observing the effects of changes to Maine’s health insurance laws made in 2011. Vermont’s courageous effort to provide health insurance to all its residents is an inspiring model for other states. Maine’s recent experience? Not […]

Brattleboro ReformerBy Richard Davis As we move closer to campaign season and closer to changing some of the elements in the Vermont health care system it is important to separate political posturing from fact. It is also important to provide context for proposals. Single payer is not the solution to the currently broken health care […]

Rutland Herald If you like your health insurance company, you may favor Randy Brock for governor in the election in November. But if you have been priced out of the insurance market or can afford only bare-bones, high-deductible plans, you may think twice about the market choices Brock proposes to unleash on the state. Of […]

Burlington Free Press Jeff Wennberg complains that Vermont’s implementation of H.559 limits insurance to those who meet the criteria and are listed on the Vermont exchange (Free Press, May 8). He conveniently ignores the fact that health coverage within the exchange must meet minimum standards for each of the coverage levels, Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc. […]

Times Argus Lawmakers in the next biennium are scheduled to take up the financing of the Green Mountain Care single payer health care system. That has already generated much discussion, including criticism from Rutland City Treasurer Wendy Wilton. What Is A Single Payer? The best definition I have come across is that by Harvard economist […]

Rutland Herald Now the really hard work begins. The health care exchange legislation just passed was a small precursor to the next item of business in health care reform, scheduled for the 2013 session: financing of Green Mountain Care single-payer health care. Chief among the challenges will be how to pay for a universal coverage […]

Times Argus By Dr. Marvin Malek I was surprised to read that Jeff Wennberg, executive director of Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, is encouraging readers to follow the money (April 29). The money Wennberg is referring to is federal money potentially available to Vermont to support the reform effort. He points out that the legislature’s […]

VTDigger Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Robin Lunge, Vermont’s director of Health Care Reform. The Vermont House and Senate should be applauded for putting Vermonters first by passing H.559, the health insurance reform and exchange bill. Legislators voting in favor of the bill recognized the needs of Vermonters by ensuring that under the insurance […]