INotes from Montpelier
by Rep. Bill Frank

The Legislature started the 2008 session on January 8^th and all committees picked up work waiting for them carried over from last spring.  During the early part of the session we concentrate on committee work and do not meet on the floor of the House every day.  If you are planning to visit the State House in January or February, check first to see if the House or Senate has scheduled floor action.

I am very pleased to continue serving on the Human Services Committee.  I have updated the committee on my work on the two committees I served on last summer and fall.   I am a member of the committee to implement the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System.  The rules of the system have been approved and the registry will be online in the next few months.  I was also appointed to the Health Access Oversight Committee that handles Health issues when the Legislature is not in session.  We met monthly from June through December and a main focus was the rollout of Green Mountain Care, the family of state programs for the uninsured.  It includes Dr. Dynasaur, Vermont Health Access Plan (VHAP), Medicaid, Prescription Assistance, as well as the new Catamount Health program.  The response to Catamount Health has been overwhelming since sign ups started October 1, 2007.  To find if you are eligible for Catamount Health or any of the other Green Mountain Care programs, call 1-800-250-8427 or visit www.greenmountaincare.org.

Catamount Health is designed for Vermonters age 18 and older and for families who are not eligible for existing state-sponsored coverage programs, who have been uninsured for 12 months or more or who have recently lost their insurance because of a life change such as a divorce or loss of a job.  Many Vermonters are still without health insurance, are under-insured, or find the high cost threatens their very livelihood, particularly self-employed Vermonters and small businesses.  A priority of this session is to not only providing health insurance to more Vermonters but to focus on lowering health care costs.   

House bill H.304 - The Vermont Hospital Security Plan will provide hospital services to all Vermonters and lower overall hospital costs.  This bill has my attention because it is for all Vermonters.  It will guarantee all Vermonters access to and payment for inpatient and outpatient hospital services.  If Vermonters have their hospital services paid for, health insurance policies do not need to provide for hospitalization, which is 40+% of health insurance premiums.  This is a savings to people buying their own insurance and to businesses that provide insurance to their employees.

Vermonters are currently paying $776 million a year for inpatient and outpatient hospital care through taxes, payroll deductions, private insurance premiums, co-pays, and cash from their pockets.  H.304 calls for us to stop paying for hospital care individually and to start paying for it as a group by establishing the Vermont Hospital Security Trust Fund.  The cost of H.304 is high, but it is projected to cost $66 million a year less than what we pay now – that’s nine percent less.  H.304 does not spell out how to raise the money but a 5.5% payroll tax and an annual fee of $225 per person could raise $710 million.  Every Vermonter would have their hospital care paid for.  A link to more information on H.304 is on my web site www.RepBillFrank.com.