Catamount Health’s Amnesty Period Over

November 3 2008

Vermont's Catamount Health Program no longer covers pre-existing conditions for new enrollees.

The Legislature, in a compromise, created an amnesty period that allowed the pre-existing conditions of anyone enrolling from June through Nov. 1 to be covered by the program.

"Lawmakers refused to abolish the pre-existing conditions clause, citing financial constraints," said Susan Baker, an advocate with Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG).

Baker said Monday that all medical conditions should be covered by Catamount, regardless of when the first diagnosis is made. VPIRG plans to lobby the next governor and legislators to abolish the pre-existing condition clause for good once the election is over.

Barre Town resident Debbie Chase is one who could be affected by pre-existing condition clauses. She said her husband underwent cancer treatment two years ago. Fortunately, she said he not only recovered, but had good health insurance to pay...

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VPIRG says Catamount goal unlikely

August 13, 2008

MONTPELIER — It is unlikely the state will reach its goal of having 96 percent of Vermonters covered by health insurance by 2010, according to a new study of the Catamount Health program by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

About 10,000 Vermonters have enrolled in the state's insurance programs since last fall, including the new Catamount Health, which has about 5,000 members.

However, there remain more than 30,000 uninsured Vermonters to reach in the next 18 months if the goal announced when Catamount was created is to be reached, said Stefanie Sidortsova of Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

And that assumes that no Vermonters have lost their insurance coverage in the meantime.
"That is a pretty steep hill to climb," said Sidortsova, the health care advocate for VPIRG, which supported the creation of Catamount Health. The organization is pushing for...

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Groups rally for health care reform

July 9, 2008

MONTPELIER – A new coalition of groups and advocates announced Tuesday it will work to make health care reform a central issue in Congress and in this year's elections.

The announcement was made in dozens of cities around the country, including in Montpelier.

The organization of groups that collectively represents millions of Americans, including labor unions, public policy advocates and minority organizations, is not yet endorsing any national legislation.

But the group will look for bills in Congress that support its goals, said Stefanie Sidortsova, of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, one of the alliance's members.

The goal is to "guarantee quality affordable health care we can all count on," she said.

"Our members are getting mobilized" to raise money, question candidates and lobby, Sidortsova said.

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Vermont Groups Join National Effort for Health Care Reform

MONTPELIER, VT (2008-07-08)
An effort was launched Tuesday across the country that organizers hope will lead to significant health care reform in the next session of Congress. Groups in every state, including Vermont, plan to launch a grassroots effort to push passage of legislation. WAMC's North Country Bureau

Chief Pat Bradley has more.

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Bill would boost mammogram coverage

February 13, 2008

MONTPELIER — Cassandra LaRae-Perez was surprised when she found out she would have to pay out of pocket for a mammogram. She was even more shocked when she learned that — at 39 — she had breast cancer.

Now, having gone through surgery and still in radiation therapy, LaRae-Perez wanted to do something good with what she learned. By coincidence, as a lobbyist for one of the state's largest lobbying and law firms, she knew her way around the Statehouse.

"When something like this happens you want something good to come out of it," she said
Now a bill LaRae-Perez worked on with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group and was introduced by Sen. John Campbell, D-Windsor, is scheduled to be on the floor of the Senate today.

"This bill makes sure no woman in Vermont has to pay more than $25 out of pocket for a screening mammogram," said Stefanie Sidortsova of VPIRG.

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Catamount Health off to a good start, says VPIRG

December 6, 2007

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group has been a frequent and loud critic of Gov. James Douglas. But the Douglas administration has done fairly well jump starting the new Catamount Health program designed to cover those Vermonters without health insurance, according to the group.

"Overall the initial development and implementation of Catamount Health has been successful," concludes a VPIRG report expected to be released today.

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Delegation hammers SCHIP veto

October 4, 2007

MONTPELIER — The veto by President Bush of a bill continuing and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program will have a serious impact on Vermont, according to the state's three-member congressional delegation and other officials.

The veto will mean the end of a program that provides insurance coverage to 6 million children in the country and prevents 4 million more from being added to it.

"This isn't the time for a wait-and-see approach or to merely consider taking action," said Stefanie Sidortsova, who watches health care policy for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "Gov. Douglas needs to step up to the plate for Vermont's children, especially since it appears his designated lobbyist in D.C. has struck out with the Bush administration. It is time for the governor to take some bold action."

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Sanders bill pushes for health care innovation

September 11, 2007

MONTPELIER - U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., has introduced a bill that would give five states money to try out programs providing for universal health care coverage - an experiment he hopes will show that so-called single-payer government insurance is "the cost-effective and moral thing to do." If his bill wins passage and becomes law - a feat Sanders acknowledges will be an uphill fight - he hopes Vermont will be one of the five states to apply for money and flexibility from the federal government to enact a pilot program, the senator said by telephone.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which has lobbied for health care reform in the state, praised Sanders' proposal.

"This bill could pave the way for states like Vermont to fundamentally change the way we think about health care," said Stefanie Sidortsova, health care advocate for the organization, said in a statement.

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Solving our health care problem

September 4, 2007

By Stefanie Sidortsova, healthcare advocate for Vermont Public Interest Research Group

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. Dinosaur and Catamount Health are not in immediate danger, inflammatory rhetoric and headlines to the contrary.

To re-cap our story to date: President Bush vowed on Aug. 8 to veto legislation that would expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

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Advocates hope to increase Catamount enrollment

August 30, 2007

BRATTLEBORO -- If you don't have health insurance, expect a knock at your door soon.

The fear of some health care reform activists is that Vermont's new Catamount Health program will fail because people don't know about it or are intimidated by the enrollment process, so citizen advocates from the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund will be fanning out across the state to explain the program and help get those eligible enrolled.

"What we are doing with Catamount is way ahead of the rest of the nation," said Peter Sterling, the coordinator for the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security, which is working with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group to get the word out.

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It's time to sign up for health care

August 23, 2007

It seems that too many of us have the high price of health care on our minds.

In Vermont more than 60,000 of our friends, co-workers and neighbors are currently uninsured. Here in Rutland County, more than 5,600 people do not have health insurance. Thousands more of our neighbors throughout Vermont have insurance, but can only afford high $2,000, $5,000 and even $10,000 deductible "catastrophic" plans, many of which offer no hospitalization or primary care coverage. Of those who qualify for VHAP or other Vermont Medicaid programs, roughly 51 percent have not taken advantage of this coverage.

To help Vermonters enroll in Catamount Health and Vermont's Medicaid programs, AARP Vermont, the Vermont National Education Association, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the Vermont Citizens Campaign for Health joined together to form a new group called the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund. The fund's primary purpose is to work toward the goal of assisting all eligible Vermonters to enroll in one of the state health care programs, be it Catamount Health, Medicaid, or VHAP.

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Moore's 'Sicko' promises to be an 'eye-opener'

June 28, 2007

MONTPELIER – The Savoy Theater is prepping for crowds.
Michael Moore's latest cherry bomb, "Sicko," an exposé of the U.S. health care system, opens Friday at the downtown Montpelier cinema for a run of at least three weeks.

Three years ago, when theater owners Rick Winston and his wife, Andrea Serota, showed Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, they were "so overwhelmed by the crowds" that they added a 4:30 p.m. show, Winston said.

The film is also being promoted locally by a coalition of advocacy organizations – Vermont Health Care for All, the Vermont Workers' Center and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. The groups plan to make as many as 1,000 free tickets available to uninsured and underinsured Vermonters.

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Outreach workers to raise health insurance awareness

2007-05-15

(Host) A public-private partnership has been created to encourage Vermonters who don't have health insurance to sign up for one of the state's subsidized programs.

As part of the plan, outreach workers will be sent to communities throughout the state to help uninsured Vermonters better understand how the state programs work.

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Douglas signs Prescription Drug Bill

June 12, 2007

MONTPELIER, Vt. --Gov. Jim Douglas has signed into law a bill designed to give consumers and their doctors more information about prescription drugs and reduce costs by enabling people to use less expensive generic drugs.

"This law is the right prescription for patients and their doctors in Vermont," said Paul Burns, of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

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June 12, 2007

MONTPELIER -- Gov. Jim Douglas has ended speculation that he might veto one more of the 100 bills sent him this year by the Legislature. Monday he put his signature on a controversial prescription drug bill.

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State seeks those who qualify for Catamount Health

May 16, 2007

MONTPELIER-- Clancy DeSmet and Carl Witke are two Vermonters who'd qualify for the state's new Catamount Health Plan.

Those with a stake in the health plan's success are revving up to find the other 30,000 Vermonters who could be helped by the plan.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group, a watchdog organization that is often at odds with the state over issues such as health care, is among those to join the coalition to help promote Catamount.

The reason: VPIRG wants to see Catamount expanded to offer more complete and affordable coverage to small businesses and would like Catamount to be a model for other states, Executive Director Paul Burns said. "First, we've got to have a program that's successful."

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Knock, knock: Catamount Health reps hitting streets

By David Gram, Associated Press Writer May 15, 2007 MONTPELIER, Vt. --If someone knocks on your door this summer and wants to talk about health insurance coverage, you may want to listen.

A host of groups -- including the state, Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the Bi-State Primary Care Association-- will be involved in an effort to train outreach workers encouraging enrollment in Catamount and the state's other public health programs, which are Medicaid and the Vermont Health Access Plan.

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News Coverage of VPIRG's Work

News coverage since May 2007 will be posted on this blog.

Click here to view archives of earlier news coverage. We've had such great media coverage this year on our work that we're a little backlogged (not a bad thing!). Remaining 2007 coverage will be posted as soon as we can.