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vtdigger Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Thursday that he would look to cut health care costs first—then figure out how to pay for a single-payer plan for Vermont. In a press conference, Shumlin repeatedly said that extending coverage to all Vermonters, and finding a way to pay for the new system, is not a big deal—compared […]

Vtdigger Editor’s note: Anne Galloway contributed to this report. Video of Hsiao’s presentation and a press conference with Senate president pro tem John Campbell and Speaker of the House Shap Smith are at the end of this report. More information was added to this story at 5:30 a.m. The very day the U.S. House of […]

Common Dreams MONTPELIER, VT – January 18 – Flanking Gov. Peter Shumlin at a Statehouse press conference, the Vermont congressional delegation today announced federal legislation to let states in 2014 provide better health care at less cost. A provision by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the new federal health care law allows states to […]

VPR Host) Vermont’s Congressional delegation is pledging to work together to make it easier for the Shumlin Administration to implement a single payer health care plan. The goal is to make it possible for Vermont to seek a waiver from the federal government for a single payer plan in 2014. VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports: (Kinzel) […]

Burlington Free Press MONTPELIER — The federal government has renewed an agreement with Vermont known as Global Commitment to Health — a deal that will be worth $4.26 billion over the next three years. The partnership represented in the agreement assures the federal government that it won’t have to spend any more than $4.26 billion […]

Burlington Free Press MONTPELIER — Lawmakers had just been sworn in for a new legislative session Wednesday when a group of advocates for the homeless rallied on the Statehouse steps, urging them to put a halt to homelessness. A short while later, advocates for single-payer health care crowded into a Statehouse room in hopes of […]

Editorial, Bennington Banner  In a sense, Peter Shumlin will find himself in the same political situation as the newly elected Barack Obama, only on a smaller scale, when he becomes Vermont’s governor in January. Like Mr. Obama in January 2009, Mr. Shumlin will become chief executive with an overwhelming majority of his party in both […]

  Burlington Free Press  MONTPELIER — There aren’t many people who feel positive about the health of health care in Vermont. House Speaker Shap Smith was blunt in his assessment: The status quo is broken. Many businesses struggle to afford the ever- increasing cost of providing health-insurance coverage for employees, according to Vermont Chamber of […]

Kevin Kelley, Vermontbiz.com Faced with multiple uncertainties — some they can affect, some they cannot — Vermont health care reformers are waiting to see whether state and federal initiatives will advance the cause of providing all Vermonters with access to high-quality, affordable treatment. The uncertainties also come in long-term and short-term varieties. Close on the […]

Vtdigger Vermont’s health care system is broken, but it’s not beyond repair, according to Dr. William Hsiao, who has been hired by the Legislature to design three medical care reform plans for Vermont. Fully integrating reforms, however, could take as long as 12 years, Hsiao told an audience of about 100 people at the Statehouse […]