Three Victories For Vermont In Two Weeks

Over the last two weeks we’ve seen some huge victories for the people of Vermont. First, the Senate passed a bill that would cut the cost of Mammograms in the state to a flat rate of $25 per person. This is huge. Why? Because in breast cancer, like any cancer, early detection is the key to a quick and healthy recovery.

Second, the House and Senate have now both passed S.209. Some of you may remember this bill as H.520, the Comprehensive Global Warming and Energy Effeciency bill that we all worked so hard to pass last year. The one main difference: There is no tax on Vermont Yankee. We’ll still see great things for renewable energy and for energy efficiency out of the bill. On this one specifically I want to thank you all for your hard work. It’s been a tumultuous year but in the end, we won.

Finally, the House. has passed a bill that would tighten regulations on lead used in housing. This bill specifically focuses on tenant housing like apartments. As many of you know Vermont has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation and while that makes for some beautiful homes, it also means there is quite a bit of lead out there. If passed by the Senate this bill will go a long way to help reducing the amount of that dangerous toxin in our homes.

None of these battles could have been won without you. Thank you for all you do.

Sean

Health Care, The Hottest Topic of the New Year.

And we’re back! Hopefully you all enjoyed the holiday season as much as we did. While we were gone, Congress passed legislation to extend federal funding for the SCHIP program through March 2009. Unfortunately, the program’s funding will hold steady at current levels, which means that the more than nine million American children who are currently uninsured will not be able to enroll. Additionally, the passed legislation did not include any provisions that would aid in reaching out to the more than 6 million uninsured American children who are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled.

What does this mean for Vermont? The good news is that none of our kids enrolled in Dr. Dynasaur will lose their health insurance. The bad news is that an important health care policy issue is left unresolved, an issue that has and will continue to impact our Catamount Health Plan.

As you may remember, President Bush wanted to limit SCHIP funding to children of families earning below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Just as he was announcing this new policy, his administration was ruling on Vermont’s application to use federal dollars for Catamount Health. The Bush administration had previously assured Vermont’s health care administration that it would be permitted to use federal dollars to subsidize health insurance premiums for Vermonters living at up to 300% FPL (approximately $60,000 per year for a family of four). But in the face of the SCHIP debate, the Bush administration went back on its word and agreed to fund only up to 200% FPL. The Vermont Legislature and Governor Douglas have pledged to make up the difference with state funds until the federal funding issues are resolved.

Based on the outcome of the SCHIP bill, it looks like we might have to wait until there’s a new administration in the White House.

Speaking of Catamount, here are the 2007 enrollment figures from the Douglas administration: As of December 31, 2007, 165 Vermonters had enrolled in the Catamount Health Plan at full cost, while 1,187 enrolled in Catamount with premium assistance and 313 had enrolled in the employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) premium assistance program. Enrollment goals for fiscal year 2008 (which technically extends from July 1, 2007 through June 31, 2008, but enrollment in Catamount Health could not begin until October 1, 2007) are as follows: 1,447 for Catamount Health at full cost; 2,798 for Catamount Health with premium assistance; and 656 for ESI premium assistance.

This means that the administration is nearly halfway to meeting its goals for enrollment in the two premium assistance programs. So far, so good. Now, on to the legislative session! Check back later this week for my legislative preview and update of the early health care issues we’ll be looking at in the State House.

Bush Vetos SCHIP... Again

As expected, last night President Bush vetoed Congress’ second attempt to extend and expand the SCHIP program. The media is now speculating that Congress will pass a resolution to extend SCHIP in its current form through the end of the fiscal year. According to one report, a veto override vote has been scheduled for January 23, a few days before Bush is scheduled to give his State of the Union address.

SCHIP currently provides health coverage to 6 million children of working families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance. Democratic and Republican lawmakers and governors, as well as 80 percent of the public, support expanding the SCHIP program. After the president vetoed the first SCHIP bill, Congress adjusted the bill to address the president’s concerns, but the president said Congress did not go far enough.

Health Care Updates: The Latest on Catamount and SCHIP

Catamount Health
Last Thursday, VPIRG released its first scorecard rating the implementation of the Catamount Health plan. The report, Scoring Catamount Health: Examining Vermont’s Progress Toward an Equitable Health System, available [here], gave the Douglas Administration an overall grade of B, noting that the initial development and implementation of the program has been successful thus far.

The report evaluates the administration’s work in five areas: 1) the inclusiveness of the development and implementation process (in other words, the administration’s attempts to involve key stakeholders); 2) messaging and marketing; 3) timeliness and efficiency; 4) fiscal stability; and 5) regulation of private partners.

While the administration earned a high score overall, we did note a few concerns. First, as many no doubt remember, in April 2007 Gov. Douglas attempted to divert millions of dollars out of the Catamount Fund and into other investments. While he later withdrew this proposal, his actions cast some doubt on his commitment to the program.

Additionally, many Vermonters were expecting to have health care coverage through Catamount Health on October 1. In fact, legislators, advocates, and even members of the administration were under the impression that coverage would begin on that date. During the summer of 2007, it became apparent that others in the administration were working toward the October 1 deadline as the start of enrollment only, not the start of benefits. Ultimately, nothing could be done to rectify the situation and Catamount Health beneficiaries had to wait until November 1 to get their health care benefits.

It is only fair to note that the law states that “Catamount Health shall not be sold prior to October 1, 2007.” (8 VSA § 4080f(l)). Thus, the administration technically was not required to ensure that Vermonters had health care coverage as of that date. Nonetheless, the act establishing Catamount Health was signed into law on May 25, 2006. It wasn’t until June 4, 2007 that the confusion over the October 1 start date became apparent.

As noted above, despite a few setbacks, the administration has done a good job in implementing Catamount. Going forward, we hope that Gov. Douglas and others are able to build on this initial success and provide more Vermonters with access to quality, affordable health care.

SCHIP
In late October, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a second bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This was a compromise bill drafted in the wake of President Bush’s veto of the original SCHIP legislation. The Senate passed the compromise bill as well, but the House held off on sending it to the President, as he had once again promised a veto. The compromise bill was sent to the President on Nov. 30th and SCHIP is currently scheduled to sunset on December 14, 2007. Many are expecting that Congress will pass a long-term extension of the existing program after the President’s veto and return to the SCHIP debate next year.

We will keep you posted.

Another SCHIP Vote Today

The U.S. House of Representatives will be voting today on a new bill to extend and expand the SCHIP program. Right now, very few details have been leaked to the public, but reports indicate that the bill contains some of the changes requested by Republicans, including a cap on the income levels of families eligible for SCHIP and new provisions to encourage SCHIP families to remain on private health insurance. From what we understand, the bill will still expand the program by $35 billion over the next five years and will do so through an increase on tobacco taxes.

We’ll keep you posted.

House Fails to Override SCHIP Veto by 13 Votes

The U.S. House of Representatives fell 13 votes shy today of overriding President Bush’s SCHIP veto. The final vote was 273-156. Earlier in the week, House Democrats vowed to pass another SCHIP bill if veto override efforts fell short. President Bush has said that he’s willing to work with members of both parties in both the House and Senate to find additional money for SCHIP. (In fact, he was even willing to admit that putting poor children first might take “a little more” than a 20 percent increase in SCHIP funding. What a guy.) SCHIP is currently set to expire on November 16, 2007, so hopefully the Bush administration will get to working with Congressional leaders soon rather than later.

Congress Ready to Rumble for Kids' Health Insurance

Tomorrow, members of the U.S. House and Senate will vote to override President Bush’s veto of legislation that would extend and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The bill in question, a compromise between the House and Senate, would extend SCHIP for another five years, provide an additional $35 billion in funding, and provide health care for an additional 10 million uninsured children whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford the typical private insurance plan.

In vetoing the bill, President Bush, always an ally of the private insurance industry, claimed the legislation was a move toward “federalized” health care and that he believes in private insurance. Oddly enough, under the SCHIP program, children are typically enrolled in private health insurance plans, and there is no federally established or recommended benefits package.

Additionally, Bush has claimed that the SCHIP legislation extends coverage to families earning over $80,000. However, the bill in question limits SCHIP dollars to children in families with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which is approximately $60,000 a year for a family of four.

Why such discrepancies between the President’s statements and the actual bill? Well, several things might be at work here. It’s possible that President Bush has not read the legislation. It’s also possible that he’s receiving bad advice from his cronies. It’s also possible that he’s purposely trying to mislead the American public so that folks will get behind his veto. It’s much easier to sell bad policy with “truthiness” than by admitting that this veto was made in deference to the private insurance industry and big tobacco companies (much of the new SCHIP funding comes from an increase in tobacco taxes).

Whatever it is, one thing is clear: Bush’s veto makes no sense. It’s an exceedingly bad policy decision that puts children across this country at risk. Let’s hope that Congress can muster the votes tomorrow to override the President (and the insurance industry and big tobacco) to provide health care to children who need it the most.

We’ll keep you posted.
-By Stefanie Sidortsova, Health Care Advocate

Health Care Updates from the Desk of Stefanie Sidortsova

Catamount Update

Yesterday marked a historic new beginning for health care in Vermont, as enrollment began in the state’s landmark Catamount Health program. Catamount Health is part of Green Mountain Care, a family of state- and federally subsidized health care programs for uninsured Vermonters. The health care administration is launching the program slowly, hoping to iron out all kinks before facing a deluge of applications. The Green Mountain Care advertising campaign is scheduled to begin in earnest on November 1. VPIRG will be issuing a scorecard on the Catamount outreach and enrollment process later this month. Click on the button below to sign up and see if you are eligible for benefits!

National News

You’ve probably already heard that the House and Senate passed a “compromise bill” that extends the highly popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for another five years. The bill was a compromise in that it combined previous SCHIP bills passed by both chambers. If the new bill becomes law, children in Vermont who are currently insured under our Dr. Dynasaur program will retain their health insurance. In a move that shocked no one, President Bush vowed to veto the bill. Stay tuned.

Sanders Bill poised to change Health Care

Yesterday afternoon, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the "States’ Right to Innovate in Health Care Act", a bill that, if passed, would provide federal funding for five states to implement health care demonstration projects with the goal of achieving “a cost-effective delivery system of universal, comprehensive health care with simplified administration.”

The bill stipulates that at least one of the state plans approved for funding must be a single-payer system. We at VPIRG applaud Senator Sanders for introducing such an innovative and forward-thinking bill and believe this legislation could prove to be an important step towards nationwide quality, affordable health care.

Once the text of the bill is online you will find a link to here. So stay tuned!

Stefanie Sidortsova
Health Care Advocate.

Governor Douglas Stands Up For Vermonts Kids

We at VPIRG would like to congratulate and thank Governor Jim Douglas for standing up for Vermont’s children by denouncing the Bush Administration’s proposal to restrict funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as “an unconscionable reversal of federal policy.” The new federal guidelines, which impose harsh restrictions on states that wish to use SCHIP funding to cover the children of families with incomes greater than 250% of the federal poverty level, could result in over 2,000 Vermont children losing their health benefit next year. Although Governor Douglas will undoubtedly come under immense pressure from the National Republican Party and private health insurance companies, he has chosen to do the right thing by publicly speaking out against the Bush Administration’s decision. We applaud the Governor’s action and encourage him to continue to put the needs of Vermont’s children ahead of big business and partisan politics.

Is President Bush Threatening Dr. Dynasaur?

Many of you may have read the recent news over the battle to fully fund the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Here at VPIRG, we have heard from several members who want to know what, if anything, this could mean for Dr. Dynasaur.

First a little history for clarification: Most of our members will remember that about 10 years ago Vermont became a national leader in the fight to insure all our kids when we passed Dr Dynasaur. It’s been a tremendously successful program, and is in many ways the blueprint for our vision of a health care system where every Vermonter has access to quality, affordable health care. But while Dr. Dynasaur’s greatest strength is that it offers every child in Vermont access to insurance, the funding for the program is a little more complicated: What looks like a single, comprehensive system on the patient’s end is actually funded by a mish-mash of state and federal tax-dollars, private companies and the parents of the insured children.

SCHIP is one of the ways in which Dr. Dynasaur is funded. If you haven’t heard, SCHIP is a federal program that provides states with health insurance funding for low-income children and their families. The Bush administration is seeking to “refocus” the program so that only children at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL - about 40,000/year for a family of four) are covered. If this proposal is adopted, it could adversely impact 28 states, including Vermont. Currently, Vermont receives SCHIP funding for children between 225 and 300 percent FPL (~45-60,000/year for a family of four) who are without health insurance. And if nothing is done by September 30th, the program’s funding expires altogether.

The good news is that state officials are working on a plan. If Congress passes the SCHIP legislation in its current form, Vermont will endeavor to insure the kids who lose coverage through changes to SCHIP by moving them into Vermont’s Global Commitment Waiver (which is facing its own problems) and make up the difference with state funds. While it’s disturbing to see the federal government scaling back health care coverage for kids, at this point in time there is no reason to believe that a scale-back in SCHIP funding will lead to loss of coverage for Vermont children.

As always, we will continue to watchdog the issue and keep you informed.

By Stefanie L. Sidortsova
VPIRG Health Care Advocate

Me or We?

Michael Moore’s stunning new documentary “SiCKO” premiers in theaters across the nation today. Already lauded at the Cannes film festival, Michael Moore’s new work details the ills of Americas failing health care system by drawing sharp contrasts between our system and that of our global neighbors.

Luckily, our own Savoy Theater here in Montpelier was one of the 400 theaters across the nation to receive the film in its first week. To celebrate the release of the film and to highlight the ongoing issues with Vermont’s health system Vermont Health Care for All, Vermont Workers Center, and VPIRG got together to buy up to 1000 tickets for uninsured Vermonters. The program was officially announced at a press conference before a special showing of the movie this morning where it was also announced that we had already been able to acquire more than 600 of those tickets away.

Quick side note: Props to Stefanie Sidrotsova, our new health care advocate, for an excellent first press conference.

I could go on and on about how the movie shines a light on what’s wrong with our health care system or the thousands of personal tragedies that happen every day because of these failures. But the film brings up a deeper truth:

Is this a society of Me or We?

In other words are we a society that purely cares about our own personal affairs to the detriment of our neighbors or are we a society that can pull together and care for the least of us the same way we do for those who have the most?

It could be said that the last time America was truly a “We” country was in the 1930’s and ‘40’s when we clawed our way out of the depression and then went on to win the most titanic struggle between good and evil this world has ever seen. Then, by the 1980’s our sense of “We” was buried under the mantra “greed is good.”

Or, one could say that America hasn’t lost all of its community mindedness. The brave souls from around the country who flocked to lower Manhattan one cloudless day in September are just one reminder that we still have it in us to do true good for the community. If only we could all come together for some higher purpose, like providing health care to all Americans, and not just in times of great tragedy.

Say Hello to our New Health Care Advocate and Michael Moore!

Hello out there – my name is Stefanie Sidortsova and I’m the new health care advocate at VPIRG. I’m very excited to be part of the group, and pleased to be involved in the Vermont premiere of Michael Moore’s latest film, SiCKO.

In case you haven’t heard, SiCKO is Moore’s take on America’s health care crisis and the current inner workings (for lack of a better term) of our health care industry. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has since played to packed houses at sneak previews across the U.S. Many are saying this is Moore’s best film to date – even Fox News called it “brilliant and uplifting.”

Because we at VPIRG are working to obtain quality, affordable health care for all Vermonters, we’re hoping this film serves as a catalyst to move health care reform back to the top of Vermont’s priority list. We’ve made great strides in the past, but there’s still a long way to go.

So what do we want you to do? First, go see the film. Second, tell all your friends to go see the film. Third, and most importantly, help us reach our goal of providing 1,000 free tickets to un- and underinsured Vermonters. We’ve partnered with Vermont Health Care for All and the Vermont Workers Center to provide up to 1,000 free tickets to matinee showings of SiCKO at the Savoy Theater from June 29th to July 19th. These tickets are available to anyone struggling to pay their health care bills.

To find out how you can help, email me at stefanie@vpirg.org or call 223-8421, ext. 4097. Are you uninsured or underinsured? Please stop by the VPIRG office at 141 Main Street in Montpelier to pick up a ticket. Free tickets are also available at the Montpelier Health Center, the Peoples Clinic in Barre, Cambridge Family Health Center, Plainfield Health Center, the Barre Health Center, and the Central Vermont Community Action Council.

Thanks, and see you at the movies!

VPIRG & Partners Receive $150,000 to Implement Catamount

The Vermont Campaign for Citizens Health Education Fund and VPIREF (The 501 c3 arm of VPIRG) announced this morning that they were awarded two grants. The first, $100,000 from The Public Welfare Foundation enables the Campaign to hire and train canvassers who will go to villages and towns across the state in order to educate and inform people on how to enroll in Catamount Health and other state programs. The second, $50,000 awarded to VPIREF from The Nathan Cummings Foundation is to further work on implementation and outreach efforts for Catamount while looking towards a future of expansion. $10,000 of this award has been given to the Vermont Campaign for Citizens Health Education Fund in order to assist with the hiring and training of canvassers.

These two grants open the door for VCHCSEF and VPIREF to expand their work on ensuring a healthy and affordable future for all Vermonters. Paul Burns, our executive director here at VPIREF stated, “This grant offers critical support that will allow us to watchdog the implementation of this new program and work to expand its benefits to more Vermonters in need.”

The VCHCSEF Team was joined this morning at a press conference announcing these to grants by Susan Besio, Director of Health Care Reform and Implementation for the state, and Representative Steve Maier of Middlebury chair of the House Health & Welfare Committee and Co-Chair of the Commission on Health Care Reform. Both were very generous in their praise for the work the Campaign has been doing and stated their high hopes for continued partnership, commitment, and success.

For ya'lls info: The Nathan Cummings Foundation is a nationally recognized philanthropic organization devoted to social justice issues. The Public Welfare Foundation “pursues a strategy of "service, advocacy, and empowerment" for meeting basic human needs and promoting democratic participation for people around the globe.”

--Sean Sarah, Field Associate

Community Gathers To Ask Legislature For Quality Affordable Health Care.

Last night nearly one hundred interested and passionate community members gathered at the State House to testify in front of a joint committee on Health Care to ask them to expand access to Catamount Health and give more Vermonters the opportunity to afford quality comprehensive health care.

The citizens who came to testify were passionate and committed to expanding access to quality and affordable health care. One of the most touching pieces of testimony came from a small business owner who was literally paying all of her profits, more than $11,000 last year, into health care. She spoke passionately about the need for a hand up not a hand out.

This “hand up” could be created by expanding Catamount Health to the more than 17,000 small businesses that employ nearly 60,000 Vermonters. Allowing small businesses to buy into Catamount at a fair rate would provide the economic stability needed to let these businesses flourish all while saving tax payers and businesses nearly 2.8 billion dollars over the next 10 years.

I must say, we are truly lucky to live in a state where the Legislature is so open and accessible to the people who put them there. Thank you to everyone who came out and spoke eloquently on the need to ensure all Vermonters have access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health care.

-- Sean Sarah

Governor’s Plan to De-fund Health Care Bad for Everyone

Some of you may be paying attention to all the media coverage the budget process is getting this year. There’s one budget issue that deserves close attention from anyone who cares about making quality affordable health care available to all Vermonters: Governor Douglas’ cuts to the Catamount Health budget.

For those of you who aren’t following health care policy as closely, Catamount Health is a program that will provide quality affordable health care to Vermonters who make between $30,000 and $60,000 for a family of four. The premiums, co-pays and deductibles (the amount you have to pay) are going to be inexpensive and enrollment is supposed to begin in July.

Now, to implement a plan like this takes smart people and a considerable chunk of money. In this case, $180 million dollars between 2007 and 2010. This money pays doctors, keeps track of enrollees, and markets the program so eligible Vermonters know how to sign up. Most of this money is coming from a $365 per employee assessment paid by businesses that don’t provide insurance for their employees and from an additional 60 cent tax on cigarettes (sorry smokers, somebody’s got to foot the bill, and heck, think of it as an investment in your future!).

What’s great about Catamount is that, if fully funded, it actually pays money back to the state. That’s right; it’s a government program that runs in the black. Why? Because when every Vermonter has health insurance, people stay well longer, pay their fair share when they are sick and create less burden there is on the state and health care providers to care for them in long term. Of course all of those savings and all of those healthy people can only be realized if Catamount is fully funded.

Now here is the rub: Governor Douglas is seeking to cut nearly $19 million dollars out of the Catamount budget. This is more than 10% of the budget, and appears to go back on a myriad of promises he made during the last legislative session and his re-election campaign. Most concerning, these budget cuts will end up costing Vermonters nearly $10 million additional dollars. That’s right, the Governor’s budget takes a money-making program that delivers health insurance to tens of thousands of dollars and puts it in the red; a move that could deny health coverage for 4,100 Vermonters.

Where does the money go? One of the biggest line items in the Governor’s catamount budget is a doubling of “Private Market Investments.” This program is little more than a subsidy for insurance companies whereby taxpayers ‘invest’ millions in private (and profitable) insurance companies in exchange for their commitment to insure Vermonters who are self-employed or otherwise have trouble finding private insurance they can afford. The trouble is, there’s no guarantee the insurance companies will follow through and no way for the legislature or governor to hold them accountable to their goals! It’s a give-away of public dollars and the Governor’s Catamount budget DOUBLES it at the expense of real health care reform.

But the budget passed by the House on Friday would put a stop to all by putting the money back where it belongs. This is why we’re asking you to help us take action and ask the Governor to support the House’s Catamount Health budget. You can do so by clicking here.

- Sean Sarah

Welcome to the new VPIRG Blog!

We're proud to share with you the new VPIRG blog! A place to catch up on the ins and outs of our issues and actions, we will be posting several times a week to let you know what we're hearing, seeing and doing to protect the public interest, both in the State House as well as in communities across teh state. We welcome your feedback as we craft this new information resource for our members and friends.