After reaching an impasse in 2005, Vermont’s Republican governor and Democratic legislature were able to agree on landmark health reforms in 2006 by avoiding ideological extremes and combining coverage expansion with steps to make care more cost-effective across the board.
That’s the message delivered by Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas in an interview published Oct. 16 on the Health Affairs web site. In the interview, Douglas describes the legislation that he and the Democratically controlled state legislature enacted in 2006. The reforms coupled Catamount Health, a state-subsidized coverage program for those below 300 percent of the federal poverty level, with initiatives such as wellness programs and a statewide disease management effort known as the Blueprint for Health.
Douglas explains that he and Democratic leaders were also able to reach agreement on financing for Catamount Health with a higher cigarette tax of 60 cents per pack. Vermont did not include a requirement that all state residents purchase health insurance--known as an individual mandate--in the 2006 legislation. “An individual mandate would not get us to universal coverage in this state,” says Douglas. “It is better to reach out to the uninsured population and encourage and enable them to be insured by providing affordable options.” Read the interview.
