Current News

Through Sunday, November 23, Vermont Health Connect had processed 3,588 new applications and 4,415 renewals, according to the Department of Vermont Health Access. The state's health insurance exchange for individuals and small groups had been offline until November 15.

New applications – This is a tally of applications for coverage that have been completed either online, by phone, or on paper and processed into our system. The applicants did not have coverage through Vermont Health Connect in 2014. They may have confirmed their 2015 plan(s) or they may be in another stage of plan selection. This number does not include people who have simply created an account. They must have fully completed the application for coverage and had it processed into our system.

Rheumatology patients will notice that it will be easier to get an appointment at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Rheumatology. Carol Louise Young, MD has joined the practice. As a result, appointments will be available four days a week. The office – which is located at 140 Hospital Drive, Suite 307 in Bennington – is now open 7 am–3 pm Monday through Thursday, closed for the lunch hour.

“I look forward to bringing personalized patient evaluation, education and treatment options to my patients with painful, life-changing conditions,” Young said.

Young has been in solo private practice in Escondido, Calif. since 1983. She received her medical degree from University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and completed a clinical fellowship in rheumatology and residency in internal medicine at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, Calif. and at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego, respectively.

Over 1,500 Vermont consumers may receive more than $160,000 from Active Network, LLC, a Texas-based company that provides an online platform for individuals to register for races and other recreational activities. The refunds stem from Active’s deceptive method of signing consumers up for its discount membership program – ActiveAdvantage – during online registration for races, according to the Vermont Attorney General.

Vermonters who registered for races were often later charged between $59 and $65 annually for ActiveAdvantage. Active charged the credit cards that consumers used when they registered for a race or event. Less than 10 percent of these consumers ever utilized the “benefits” of ActiveAdvantage.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org The Affordable Care Act’s so-called “Cadillac tax” on high-value health insurance plans will cost Vermont an estimated $9 million when it’s implemented in 2018, according to a draft report released Monday by the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office. That tax bill is expected to grow to $40 million by 2023.

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) of St Louis has announced that Centurion Managed Care, LLC has been notified by the State of Vermont of its intent to award Centurion a contract for comprehensive correctional healthcare services. Centurion, a joint venture between Centene and MHM Services Inc, will provide medical and behavioral health services to offenders and detainees housed at eight facilities throughout the state. The Vermont Department of Corrections is one of six unified state correctional systems in the US that serves the dual purpose as the state's pre-trial jail and detention service, as well as the state's prison system for sentenced offenders.

by John McClaughry The Vermont Administrative State is again on the march. The Administrative State is one where many functions of government are centralized and controlled by state agencies and boards, and ever fewer are retained under the democratic control of local public bodies and the people themselves.

Since 1921 Vermont has had an Administrative State for Transportation. The State took control of state and federal highways, and generally supervised town roads and streets, airports and railroads.

This centralization has generally been noncontroversial. The state’s highway system is clearly a public good, and most of the financing flows from state and federal coffers. Everyone agrees that the State has every right to license those who use the highways, and to tax vehicle owners and motor fuel users to maintain the system.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont has been named in a class action suit alleging the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its regional affiliates violate federal antitrust law. The suit accuses the association and its affiliates of price-fixing, anticompetitive market allocation and a “boycott conspiracy” that ensures “every other Blue gets the benefit of the artificially reduced prices that each Blue pays to healthcare providers.” The individual Blue Cross affiliates, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, are often referred to as “Blues.”

The plaintiffs in the suit are health care providers, medical device and equipment makers and people insured by the Blues. VTDigger was not immediately able to confirm if any of the plaintiffs are from Vermont.

Lamoille Home Health & Hospice has received a donation in the amount of $5,000 from Stowe Rotary President Iain Davies. Executive Director Kathy Demars along with Board Chair, Neal Fisher, and Clinical Director, Jennifer Beebe accepted the check on behalf of the Agency. Stowe Rotary had chosen LHH&H the beneficiary of their Friday night Rocktoberfest event at this year’s Oktoberfest. According to Davies, “Stowe Rotary knows the value of the services provided throughout Lamoille County by Lamoille Home Health & Hospice. We were very happy to work with them and thrilled to be able to provide this donation to such a deserving and hardworking local nonprofit organization.”

The Vermont Retail & Grocers Association (VRGA), in partnership with Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and the Vermont Small Business Administration (VT SBA), held a press conference today at Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington to kick off a “Shop Vermont This Holiday Season!” statewide awareness campaign. VRGA President Jim Harrison, VBSR Executive Director Andrea Cohen, and VT SBA District Director Darcy Carter worked with Representative Peter Welch’s office to organize and present the event.

In attendance for the kickoff were Representative Peter Welch, Governor Peter Shumlin, and Mayor Miro Weinberger. Participating Vermont merchants included Outdoor Gear Exchange, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Phoenix Bookstore, Danforth Pewter, and others.

Vermont EPSCoR RACC has concluded its surveys assessing Vermont household’s willingness to pay to improve the health of Lake Champlain. The first survey was distributed in 2012 to over 5,000 households in Vermont. The second was conducted in 2013, as part of the longstanding “Vermonter Poll” which the University of Vermont’s Center for Rural Studies performs annually, contacting over 2,000 households. Together, results indicated that 65 percent of respondents would be willing to pay at least $40 per year to help improve the health of Lake Champlain. This first of its kind overarching study targeted 2 key questions for policy makers and local and state leaders: Would you be willing to pay to help improve the health of Lake Champlain. Secondly, is your proximity to the Lake a factor in this decision?

National Life Group donated $6,000 to Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, enough to buy 500 turkeys, as the agency struggles to meet demand during this Thanksgiving season. Late last week the Food Shelf reported that supplies were “critically low” and it was only one-third of the way toward its goal to provide 3,000 turkeys to food insecure families.

“We saw this in the news and knew we had to help,” said Mehran Assadi, National Life Group president and CEO. “We challenge other companies to do their part and donate to the food shelf and other hunger relief agencies.”

National Life Group regularly supports food programs, among other nonprofit agencies, through its charitable foundation and through corporate sponsorships.

Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released the findings of an audit into the Vermont Department of Liquor Control’s (DLC) purchasing, warehousing, distribution, and sales of liquor. Turns out, this likely will not be a financial windfall for the state. The audit first examined the financial impacts of privatizing or partially privatizing the sale of liquor in Vermont. The SAO’s financial modeling suggests that full or partial privatization of liquor sales may yield a neutral budget impact, but there are other considerations. Second, the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) investigated ways to increase the profitability of the current system and the audit team identified areas where the DLC may be able to improve fiscal performance.

Vermont is one of 17 states that control the sale of liquor at the wholesale and/or retail levels, and the DLC sells alcohol through 78 privately-owned retail businesses that contract with the department.