Dear Editor,
The Legislature allocated a large sum of money—I believe a million dollars—for a consultant to assess the state of Vermont’s healthcare and identify potential solutions.
After many months and miles and meetings, the consultant, Dr. Bruce Hamory, released a lengthy report that identified numerous problems. The vast majority of these he could have gleaned from simply reading news headlines (people unable to afford premiums and out-of-pocket costs, wait times too long, hospitals in financial trouble, major insurer using up reserves, transportation lacking, housing lacking, etc.).
The consultant’s recommendations call for many things that disrupt the network of providers and the lives of the people who count on those providers, but does not call for modifying the system of multiple payers and multiple policies, and multiple coverages and endless haggling between patients, providers, and insurers.
The consultant estimates savings of $400 million over five years if all recommendations are implemented. Almost 10 years ago former governor Shumlin estimated savings from universal care roughly equal to that (or greater than that if you take account of inflation) but unilaterally killed the plan.
Does anyone think we’re making progress on the disaster that is healthcare in Vermont?
Lee Russ,
Bennington
