Vermont has passed a healthcare reform law authorizing a single-payor system, but it will take years to plan and launch the new system, called Green Mountain Care, according to a report by the Burlington Free Press.
Gov. Peter Shumlin said he would sign the bill just after the legislature passed it. The legislation is essentially a planning document that postpones many key decisions, such as financing, and will involve the work of an unelected oversight board. As a first step, Vermont will set up a healthcare insurance exchange, which all states will be required to do under the federal healthcare reform law.
The state's single-payor system, essentially eliminating commercial insurers, would start by 2017. A similar system operates in each province of Canada, but it is a step beyond what neighboring Massachusetts did in its recent healthcare reform law, which calls for universal coverage but lets commercial insurers stand.
Vermont officials were excited about passage of the law. "Obviously, I intend to sign the bill," Gov. Shumlin said. "This really is an extraordinarily exciting moment for Vermont. We have a long way to travel, but I am convinced we can get healthcare right and this is the bill that will get us there."
Read the Burlington Free Press report on healthcare reform.
Related articles on Vermont's plan for a single-payor system.
Vermont Senate Passes Legislation That Moves State Toward Single-Payor Health System
Vermont House Passes Single-Payor Health BillVermont May Move to Single-Payor Health System