Reform is in the eye of the beholder

By Shay Totten | Vermont Guardian

Posted May 19, 2006

The words rang out loud and clear across the Green Mountain State at the end of the legislative session — health care reform was finally achieved after nearly two years of partisan bickering.

But many long-time reform watchers say the final compromise between lawmakers and the governor will do little to actually bring down the cost of health care or health insurance in the short term. They predict that it may leave many Vermonters expecting a decrease in premiums with a bad taste in their mouths.

The compromise health care bill, which many Republicans and nearly all Progressives refused to support, puts in motion a plan, Catamount Health, aimed at covering as many as 25,000 uninsured Vermonters, helping those who are underinsured, and lowering the premiums for those enrolled in one of the Medicaid-funded plans.

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