Letters

Seven Days While Seven Days very briefly touched on the reduction of frontline staff at University of Vermont Health in [“UVM Health Cuts 142 Positions Amid Ongoing Restructuring,” June 9, online], so much remains unsaid about the way that quality is eroding from heath care in our state. A reduction in frontline staff, like nurses in […]

Time Argus In answer to Gov. Phil Scott’s “Move Vermont healthcare policies back into the mainstream” commentary (Times Argus, July 31), I want to ask what Governor Scott means by the “mainstream.” As he, and we, very well know, a publicly financed healthcare system is the “mainstream” in the rest of the democratic world. We […]

Mountain Times Dear Editor, I was glad to see that Blue Cross Blue Shield canceled its proposed “Vermont Basic” health plans. The debate over this proposal showed just how completely disconnected the people designing these plans and our healthcare system have become from the lives of ordinary Vermonters. To call a plan with an $11,800 deductible […]

Bennington Banner To the Editor: Kaj Sansom’s “Judge health care policy by its results,” works best if you read it quickly and don’t pause to think. He says the governor’s executive order on healthcare actually is “the beginning of a new, more honest conversation about what is working — and what is not.” But an […]

Caledonian Record To the Editor: In discussing health care, the word “universal” is sometimes misused. If we are to have serious conversations about the direction of health care reform, and more specifically on the possibility of universal primary care, our terminology should be accurate. And we should ask candidates and public officials to explain exactly […]

VTDigger Dear Editor: The people designing health insurance plans have lost touch with a basic fact: For many Vermonters, healthcare is a luxury they can’t afford. I was glad to see that Blue Cross Blue Shield canceled its proposed “Vermont Basic” health plans. The debate over this proposal showed just how completely disconnected the people […]

Rutland Herald Gov. Scott has proposed healthcare changes, including allowing insurers to take age into account in setting premium. He says “None of these ideas are radical … we know they work, because we’ve seen how these practical reforms have helped other states expand affordable choices, strengthen their insurance markets, and reduce costs.” On that […]

Bennington Banner To the Editor: Regarding “Vermont’s healthcare crisis is real – S.190 wasn’t the solution,” the authors point to a successful example of referenced-based pricing for California’s public employee retirement system (CalPERS) in one paragraph, then parrot the Governor’s complaint that, because S.190 applied only to Qualified Health Plans and Vermont Education Health Initiative […]

A universal financing system would let hospitals prioritize community needs over profitable services By Ellen Oxfeld VTDigger Dear Editor, In his recent commentary for VTDigger, James Hodge was correct in his observation about proposed hospital transformation plans: Simply applying the same prices to a small hospital as a large hospital will not work in our […]

VTDigger When insurance companies delay life-saving treatment, patients pay the price. By Walter Carpenter The recent commentary in VTDigger regarding prior authorization was spot on. Prior authorizations are indeed “prior aggravations” for both patients and physicians. As a patient who nearly lost his life from such aggravations 20 years ago, I know firsthand what this means.  […]