News

Huffington PostBy Wendell Potter While several states are suing the federal government to block health care reform and dragging their feet on implementing any part of it, Vermont this week will be taking a giant leap in the other direction — toward universal coverage and greater cost control — when Gov. Peter Shumlin signs legislation […]

Rutland Herald By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau MONTPELIER — When Gov. Peter Shumlin signs into law the health care reform bill finalized by legislators Tuesday, Vermonters won’t see any immediate differences in the way they pay for or receive medical care. “Most Vermonters won’t see any change in their lives,” said Sen. Claire Ayer, […]

By DAVE GRAMThe Associated Press MONTPELIER — Even now, Dr. Deb Richter is haunted by images of some of the patients she saw at inner-city clinics where she worked in Buffalo, N.Y., during the 1980s. One young man without health insurance didn’t get the early intervention he needed for diabetes. He went blind, got an […]

by Dave Gram, Associated Press MONTPELIER — Supporters of universal health care legislation are finding themselves under attack from their left flank over a last-minute amendment to the bill that would bar illegal immigrants from coverage under the Green Mountain Care program the bill envisions setting up. Operating under the rhetorical battle cry “Vermont is not […]

Burlington Free Press MONTPELIER — Sen. Richard McCormack, D-Windsor, waited two decades to cast a vote in support of a bill establishing a health-care system serving all Vermonters — but he said Tuesday’s 21-9 vote wasn’t a groundbreaking event headed for the history books. “This, today, isn’t the great moment. The great moment will happen […]

Vtdigger A new draft report [2] shows that the state of Vermont could save hundreds of millions of dollars if it adopts the recommendations outlined by H.202, the health care reform bill as passed by the Vermont House of Representatives. (The bill was altered somewhat by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee last week and […]

By Anne Galloway, Bennington Banner The Senate Finance Committee got it from all sides on Friday. The subject? H.202, the universal health care bill. Lobbyists and advocates across the spectrum (right to left) pitched amendments in a last-ditch attempt to shape the bill before it goes to the floor of the Senate this coming week. In […]

 WCAX Essex Junction, Vermont IBM’s priorities are with IBM. They’re not with the employees. They’re not with the people of the state of Vermont, said Glenn Taulton, a retired IBM worker. A group of workers at the Essex Junction IBM that has in the past tried unsuccessfully to unionize is calling its employer a bully. […]

By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau Opponents of the Legislature’s health care bill hit the airwaves Tuesday with a radio ad that urges lawmakers to “slow down” their reform efforts. The 60-second spot, paid for by the newly formed group Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, features both the high production value and cautionary tone of […]

WCAX Montpelier, Vermont A new survey is causing a stir at the Vermont Statehouse. It shows more than one-quarter of Vermont’s doctors would leave the state if Vermont moves to a single-payer health care system. The survey shows doctors are just about split in their support for a single-payer system; 44 percent support it and […]