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By Michael Bielawski
A presser today by the Green Mountain Care Board has issued a dire warning about the state of Vermont’s healthcare system. It states, “Unless immediate decisive action is taken to transform Vermont’s health care system, it will be financially unsustainable by 2030.”
It also warns that next year’s premiums are expected to be up more than 20%.
This is what they’ve concluded after they hired consultants to do a 10-month review of their current system.
The report appearing on VermontBiz largely highlights talking points from a meeting that more than 60 people attended to hear more from the GMCB on July 1 at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro.
“Worst healthcare costs in the country”
Regarding the meeting, it states, “Opening comments noted that Vermont has the ‘worst health care costs in the country.’ The average lowest-cost Silver-level premium health insurance plan in Vermont is over twice as much as the national average.”
There have been several other such meetings across the state during July. They have been hosted by consultant Dr. Bruce Hamory who is an infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer for the consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
The meetings are a requirement of Act 167 passed in 2022 which requires “sustainable, affordable, and equitable future for Vermont’s 14 hospitals and health care providers in general” according to the presser.
The consultants say they had more than 100 meetings with various healthcare centers. Their report concluded, “hospitals’ financial health, particularly for rural hospitals, is poor and continuing to deteriorate.”
Some notable participants at the Brattleboro meeting include Brattleboro Memorial Hospital CEO Christopher Dougherty, GMCB Chairman Owen Foster, JD, David Merman, MD, GMCB member, and several other prominent healthcare professionals. Legislators included Windham County state Democrat Sens. Wendy Harrison and Nader Hashim, and Rep. Leslie Goldman, D-Bellows Falls.
21-24% rise in premiums?
The GMCB has issued another document that estimates a 21% and 24% rate increase for premiums for individuals and small groups respectively. This data can be found on page five of the document, which attempts to explain how and why rates could go up so much.
According to page 6, these are not the originally proposed rate hikes. It further states that they need this money to maintain solvency.
It states, “We agree with the statements that “the original proposed CTR, and therefore the rate, is insufficient and must be significantly adjusted upward” and that “any downward adjustment to the filing’s rate components that are not actuarially supported, . . . will reduce BCBSVT’s surplus and negatively impact its solvency.”
The GMCB presser similarly suggests that healthcare costs are rising sharply. It states, “Vermont healthcare costs in 2023 and 2024 have risen nearly 29%, and forecasts for 2025 estimate increases of over 20%.”
Hospitals to close?
The report notes that since 2005, 192 hospitals have closed across the nation, most of them since 2010. It further states that all of them have been “rural hospitals or those isolated from other facilities.”
It goes on about what this means for Vermont. It states, “With nine of its 14 hospitals operating at a deficit, Vermont may look better than some parts of the country, but it will also be looking at hospital closures if changes aren’t made quickly.”
Health insurance not required, but your care is
Those without health insurance can still get health care via a conventional pay-per-service model. Often referred to as Charity Care, federal law requires hospitals receiving public funds to offer income-adjusted care to those without insurance.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Health Care
“unsustainable by 2030”, it’s already there.
we already had our bump with a 1,400.00 dollar raise in our private health care bill this year////
It’s all going according to their Marxist Plan. Have meetings, waste money, pocket money, laugh and go home. Hospitals have so much money, just like colleges do, they are supplied by tons of cash from Health and Human Services with strings attached to do their bidding.
This all started with Obamacare, remember, “you can keep your doctor”. Ha! What a Joke! Sure, if you can afford your Doctor and if your Doctor can still practice!
Liberty is from God, not man.
God has already Won! Victory in Jesus. God’s Word is Truth, read tomorrow’s news Today!
Fight the good fight, the Constitution is for a moral people. The Founding Fathers used the Bible as a guide for the founding principles of the United States of America.
Thanks Barry Soetoro….the devil.
To all illegal immigrants…Come one, come all. Free health care, food stamps, Hotel stay, education and if you have a drug or criminal problem, no worry, we’ll coddle you….All on the taxpayer dime…So says the Democrats who always get re-elected to super majorities. So it must be the will of the people right.
You should all plan to be at Dr. Frank’s presentation. Look at the evidence he presents. Those supermajorities could have been rigged by electronic means and not really represent the will of the people. Both sides of the aisle should hear and question his analysis.
Note the focus is on the financial health of hospitals, not people. The financial health of hospitals was part of the discussion, as well, during during the Senate committee on Health & Welfare S.151 pay parity and transparency bill that died in committee this past legislative session. Let’s bring the focus back to the health of people by expanding the health insurance market. If re-elected, incumbents will be likely to pass legislation to appoint a committee to study the committee on the committee to study health care costs. Legislators claim to want to keep government out of health care decisions that should be between the patient and their doctor, then proceeded to pass legislation to appoint a Green Mountain Care Board. These unelected officials are making decisions on standards of care and mandates on what health insurance companies must pay for. We do not need GMCB, health insurance companies, the Vermont Medical Board, the Vermont Medical Society, etc. dictating standards of care., which limits options that doctors to provide to their patients free from the threat of investigation by the VT medical board.
Health care for all. If the feds stopped spending so much on the war machine, thete would be lass hospitals closing and everyone in the US would have care.
Keep in mind hospitals will pay these stupid carbon taxes as well so the increases will be even worse
Does this story surprise you? Are you surprised that education property taxes are skyrocketing? Will you be surprised when the Clean Heat Standard increases your heating bills by 20%? If any of this surprises you I suggest you enroll in a basic economics course and stop listening to Vermont’s Progressive Leaders.
Isn’t life wonderful – Vermont, the Sodom of New England
DMV charges for driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and license plates increased by almost 20%.
13.8% property tax increase
Flooding, again
and now a 20% increase on health insurance?
Vermont’s 3 Congressional delegates won’t be fazed ….
Interesting how that works out for millionaires.
You might think that voters would be done with this one party system of government.
The UVMMC has the O.K. to purchase the Fanny Allen Campus at $17.3 million and build a new surgical unit at the price of $130 million. Something is very wrong with the GMCB’s report. Is it the GMCB’s job to protect the hospitals or the people of Vermont? I know the people of Vermont cannot afford to pay more for health care. We are already paying more than every other state. Despite acknowledging the crisis the GMCB continues to rubber stamp all increases and projects.
To me the big problem is Medicare and Medicaid pay the hospitals and doctors 25 cents on the dollar, no one can live on that ratio! Where is Crazy Bernie with his “Medicare for all” ? Hospitals wold be closing in a year! Solution is that both Federal Programs pay their fair share as crazy Bernie would say! Here in Bennington, the head of the hospital, Mr Gee said that our hospital,SWVM. 75 percent of patients are Medicare or Medicaid, 5 percent Free and the other 20 percent have private insurance , that’s why private insurance is going up so fast, they are the only one “paying their fair share” 🥲🥲🌹. 20 percent increase, ridiculous 👎👎👎👎