It's been almost two years since Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) signed Green Mountain Care, the state's single-payor healthcare system, into law, and the small state's big steps toward healthcare reform could be a model for other states that are scrambling to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Laura Grubb, MD, an adolescent medicine fellow at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's medical school, penned an article for the New England Journal of Medicine about four key lessons to be learned from Vermont's push toward a publicly financed system that will offer universal healthcare coverage.
1. Progress is made by engaging local stakeholders. Vermont was able to pass its single-payor proposal because the Shumlin administration actively engaged state residents on what it would mean for them.
2. A single healthcare board could streamline state decisions. Vermont created the Green Mountain Care Board as the primary governing agency for the state's new single-payor system. It is an independent board comprised of several different stakeholders, and it "supports synchronization of reform efforts," according to the article.
3. Developing a state health insurance exchange takes teamwork. Vermont was one of 23 states to run its own insurance marketplace or create a joint state-federal exchange. Dr. Grubb said taking this action on the exchange, an essential component of the PPACA, could align state reforms with federal ones.
4. Transparency and proactive measures are key. In January, Vermont released its healthcare financing plan, which detailed how the state's single-payor system will be funded starting in 2017. Taking the initiative to show how GMC will be funded offers transparency that residents seek, while demonstrating how the system will save the state money.
Laura Grubb, MD, an adolescent medicine fellow at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's medical school, penned an article for the New England Journal of Medicine about four key lessons to be learned from Vermont's push toward a publicly financed system that will offer universal healthcare coverage.
1. Progress is made by engaging local stakeholders. Vermont was able to pass its single-payor proposal because the Shumlin administration actively engaged state residents on what it would mean for them.
2. A single healthcare board could streamline state decisions. Vermont created the Green Mountain Care Board as the primary governing agency for the state's new single-payor system. It is an independent board comprised of several different stakeholders, and it "supports synchronization of reform efforts," according to the article.
3. Developing a state health insurance exchange takes teamwork. Vermont was one of 23 states to run its own insurance marketplace or create a joint state-federal exchange. Dr. Grubb said taking this action on the exchange, an essential component of the PPACA, could align state reforms with federal ones.
4. Transparency and proactive measures are key. In January, Vermont released its healthcare financing plan, which detailed how the state's single-payor system will be funded starting in 2017. Taking the initiative to show how GMC will be funded offers transparency that residents seek, while demonstrating how the system will save the state money.
More Articles on Vermont Healthcare:
Vermont Rolls Out Initial Single-Payor Financing Plan
Vermont's Green Mountain Care Board Finalizes FY 2013 Hospital Budgets
Vermont Releases Outline of Health Benefits for Insurance Exchange