Continuing progress to affordable care for all Vermonters Gov. Shumlin signed another major VPIRG priority into law. This one advances Vermont toward our goal of high quality, affordable health care for all. The bill, H.559, creates a consumer Health Benefit Exchange where individuals and businesses with fewer than 50 employees will get their health insurance …
The 2012 legislative session marked another busy and successful year in advocacy for the public interest. We came into the session with ambitious plans – from taking on the Oil and Gas Industry to ban fracking to initiating a campaign to require GMO labeling to standing up to health insurers and making sure they cover the medical care they should. We take our role as “Vermont’s Voice” in the State House seriously – bringing research and policy analysis, strong partnerships and principled organizing and advocacy to the fore.
The end of the legislative session is always lively. While things are changing by the minute, here’s a snapshot of where things stand with the public interest bills on the eve of the session’s close.
The health insurance fog is about to lift. S.200, VPIRG’s signature health reform initiative this year, sailed through the Senate and got even stronger in the House. The bill would force health insurance companies to pull the curtain back on claims denial, profit, and influence. Information is power and S.200 is key to ensuring that …
Vermonters won two big health care victories in the State House this week. The big health reform bill (H.559) passed the Senate by a vote of 20-7. The bill lays the groundwork for Vermont’s health insurance exchange, a requirement of the federal Health Care Law, and moves us one step closer to a health care …
Health Care was big news last week, from the Supreme Court to the Vermont Legislature. With all the coverage and endless political commentary, it can be hard to get a sense of what’s really going on. Here are the ‘Cliffs Notes’ to help decode the latest happenings in Vermont and Washington D.C.
Thanks to all of the calls and emails of VPIRG members and other activists, we are one step closer to requiring Vermont’s health insurers to provide detailed data to the state on the claims they deny. The Senate Health & Welfare committee unanimously passed the denied claims bill (S.200) last week prior to the looming “crossover” deadline on March 16.
Over 200 people from 6 different states took part in VPIRG’s interactive health care webinar Health Reform 2012 – What’s Next and Why it Matters on Tuesday, February 7th. Click here to download a recording of this event.
On Friday afternoon, after two days of grueling debate, the Vermont House of Representatives passed the health reform bill (H.559) with a vote of 88-38. The legislation marks the next big step towards high quality, affordable health care for every Vermonter.
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Majority, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), Tuesday’s webinar featured presentations from members of the Green Mountain Care Board, prominent Vermont small business owners and representatives from the State of Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISCHA).
