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Crossover Sees Victories and Challenges for Vermonters Health
A new bill proposing to set the cost of all mammogram's to $25 dollars passed the upper body of the Vermont State Legislature by a voice vote. This bill provides the women of Vermont with the two most important resources they need in the fight against cancer: availability and affordability.
The bill, S.340, proposes to cover the cost of all mammograms given in the state of Vermont. Currently, coverage varies based on whether the screening is administered in a doctor's office or in a hospital. With the successful passage of this bill, women seeking these vitally important health screenings would only be required to pay $25 at the time of testing.
Providing low cost testing for Vermont's women is a critical step forward in providing comprehensive preventative care to all Vermonters. Equally important of course is the impact it will have on Women's health. The earlier doctors can catch cancer of any type, the more likely a life is to be saved.
To read the full text of the bill click here.
Click here to take action on these issues now by sending a message to your legislator.
Scoring Catamount Health
Check out VPIRG's newest report grading the Douglas Administration on their effectiveness in implementing the Catamount Health plan. Catamount Health promises to be the next step towards quality affordable health care for all Vermonters.Thus, its implementation and execution are critical to, not only the success of the program, but to the health of thousands of Vermonters.
The report, entitled Scoring Catamount Health: Examining Vermont’s Progress Toward an Equitable Health System, gives the Administration an overall grade of B for its performance since the passage of the Health Care Affordability Act, the landmark 2006 legislation that established the Catamount Health plan.
The scorecard grades the Administration’s work in five key areas: 1) the inclusiveness of the implementation process; 2) messaging and marketing; 3) timeliness and efficiency; 4) the overall fiscal stability of Catamount funding; and 5) the Administration’s regulation of the insurance companies who will be selling the Catamount product. The report praises the Office of Health Care Reform for its role in bringing key stakeholders into the process.
“To its credit, the Administration has installed very competent individuals to lead the Catamount Health program,” said Stefanie Sidortsova, VPIRG’s health care advocate. “This is a good sign for Vermonters who need comprehensive health coverage and have not had access to it.”
You can read the Times Argus exclusive press coverage by clicking here, the VPIRG press release by clicking here, and the full report by clicking here.
Catamount Health Enrollment Begins!
 After two years of planning and preparation, Catamount Health, Vermont's first step towards quality affordable health insurance, began official enrollment. Part of a suite of health choices offered by the state called "Green Mountain Care", Catamount Health offers the promise of highly subsidized, and high quality, health care to those Vermonters who need it most, the uninsured.
We believe that Catamount Health will not only succeed at its goal of making sure 96 percent of Vermonters have health care in the next two years but will pave the way towards a future where health care is not a commodity but a right.
For more information on signing up please click on the "Green Mountain Care" button above or on this link!
Ensuring Catamount Health's Stability
 August 2007 may well be remembered as the month that President Bush declared war on children, the uninsured, and Vermont. But while the battle has been joined over the future of health care in Vermont, citizens and patients should know that programs like Dr. Dynasaur and Catamount Health are not in immediate danger.
President Bush vowed on August 8th to veto legislation that would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). That decision threatened funds for Dr. Dynasaur and the thousands of Vermont kids who depend on it. Next, the Bush administration reneged on its promise to allow Vermont to use federal money to make health care affordable for residents earning between 200 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level. That decision cuts out thousands of Vermonters who simply can’t afford the health care they need.
Fortunately, Governor Douglas and the State Legislature is standing up for Vermonters. Not only has the Governor and the Legislature spoken out against Bush’s SCHIP policy, they have also committed to allocating $18.5 million of additional state funds to ensure Catamount Health’s success. But while promising to find the money is one thing, actually investing it when other budget priorities loom is another. So despite the laudable gestures from Governor Douglas, the question must be asked: are we still in trouble?
Thankfully, the answer is no. If Catamount Health’s eligibility guidelines were expanded to include small businesses more Vermonters would be covered and more private dollars would flow into the Catamount Fund, more than offsetting the losses from the federal government. And these would be dollars well spent, as each dollar Catamount receives, whether from a small business owner, a patient, or the federal government, helps the state reduce health care costs by investing in chronic care, disease management, and keeping working Vermonters healthy.
Our lawmakers and our Governor are in rare agreement: Catamount Health is a plan worth keeping. Now that we’re all on the same page and committed to moving forward, it’s up to these same leaders to ensure Catamount’s success by allowing the business community access. When faced with budget cuts by short-sighted federal regulators, expanding Catamount Health to small businesses is the most financially responsible thing to do. Even more importantly, for Vermonters it is the right thing to do.
Stefanie Sidortsova
Health Care Advocate
Dr. Dynasaur Funding Threatened
 Recent news reports have drawn public attention to a battle over funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Actions by the Bush Administration may threaten funding for this program, which helps to insure children in Vermont and 27 other states. there are only a few weeks left for congress to act, or the program’s funding may expire altogether.
Want to find out what SCHIP means to you? Read all about it in the VPIRG Blog.
TWO NEW BILLS SEEK TO EXPAND CATAMOUNT
 March 5 - VPIRG commends Senators Flannagan and White for their courageous new bill seeking to expand catamount to an growing pool of Vermonters. VPIRG would also like to note Senator Cummings has proposed a new and intriguing bill expanding Catamount to small businesses with three employees or less. We are glad that these bills are seeing the light of day as they give us focus and allow us to discuss the real issues of allowing every Vermonter access to affordable health care.
These bills are an excellent start to a debate that must go farther. Every citizen in Vermont has the right to have quality affordable health care. Vermonters are paying more and more for health care that provides them with less and less. Catamount, as it stands, is but one step on the path towards coverage for all Veromonters. VPIRG belives the next step is to allow Small Businesses (those businesses with 10 or fewer employees) to buy into the benifits of Catamount at it's full cost, projected to be $365 dollars a month per person.
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