highlights of the single payer plan for VT (report issued yesterday)

[cali]

Highlights of the health reform report delivered to the Vermont Legislature

Thursday, January 20, 2011


Harvard economist William Hsiao reported Wednesday to the state Legislature on his team's evaluation of three potential options to revamp the state's health care system. He recommended a single-payer, public/private partnership plan. Here are highlights of the recommended plan:
• COVERAGE: All Vermont residents would be covered when the plan would be implemented in 2015.
• BENEFITS: There would be a single benefit package providing individuals with coverage for medical and mental health care, prescription drugs, plus some dental and eye care. There would be "modest co-payments" for outpatient services, but none for preventive services.
• PAYROLL TAX: Employees and their workers would pay a payroll tax, which for most employers and workers would be no greater than what they pay now for private insurance. Only businesses that pay low wages and workers with low earners would be exempt from the tax.
• SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE: Businesses that have offered more generous insurance coverage to their workers could choose to provide supplementary, private insurance benefits.
• MEDICARE: The Medicare population -- those 65 and older -- would see no change in their benefits.
• GOVERNMENT'S ROLE: The government would provide the money to pay providers.

• INDEPENDENT BOARD: An independent board would set the rates and decide on the benefit package. The board would include representatives from employers, state government, consumers, and health care providers.
• PRIVATE PARTNER: The processing of individual claims and payments to providers would be put out to bid.
• PAYMENT REFORM: Payments to doctors and other health care providers would be changed from current fee-for-service to an incentive structure.
• SAVINGS: The switch from multiple insurance plans to a single-payer system would result in significant administrative savings and opportunities for greater vigilance. Savings in the first year are estimated at $590 million.

<snip>

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110120/NEWS03/101200312/Highlights-of-the-health-reform-report-delivered-to-the-Vermont-Legislature

[LiberalFighter]

1. Too bad they can't calculate the savings to businesses that were paying insurance costs of other

businesses. Sure there will be businesses that will have increased costs. But they shouldn't benefit because their employees don't use the employer's provided insurance.

I wonder how many 2 income families had one spouse working at GM, Ford, Chrysler, or Navistar and just used the insurance there? How about IBM, Microsoft, Apple, or local, state or federal government employees? How many had spouses that worked at a small business and didn't use their employer's insurance? And do the employers at those businesses that do use the insurance have to pay more because not everyone is covered?

[PoliticAverse]

2. Medicare and Medicaid stay.

From comments at: http://vermontforsinglepayer.org/expertscomment

Don McCanne, MD. (Senior Health Policy Fellow at Physicians for a National Health Program):
...
"One very serious deficiency is that they decided to leave in place Medicare and Medicaid, primarily because of existing barriers to move them into a single payer system. Thus their proposal is not a single payer system. Leaving these programs in place sacrifices some of the important single payer efficiencies."
...

[subterranean]

3. Would Vermont residents still be covered outside of Vermont?

Or would they have to buy travelers health insurance every time they leave the state?

[cali]

5. they would be covered outside the state.

[PoliticAverse]

4. The 132 page report is here:

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/jfo/healthcare/FINAL%20VT%20Draft%20Hsiao%20Report.pdf

For those that are really interested.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. Go Vermont!

:yourock:

May Minnesota follow.

[hootinholler]

7. $590 million just in Vermont.

That would add up to some serious money nationwide.

-Hoot