Current News

Condé Nast Traveler announced today the results of its 27^th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards, recognizing Hotel Vermont in Burlington as #14 in the 25 Best Hotels in the US. More than 76,600 dedicated readers cast votes for 7,721 hotels, 642 cities, 453 cruise ships, and 148 islands, with an average survey time of 16.5 minutes. The result? The 1,182 best travel experiences in the world.

Hotel Vermont.

by Rob Roper There is some confusion out there, particularly among seniors, about what will happen to Medicare if Vermont adopts the single payer healthcare program, Green Mountain Care. Does the state intend to “take over” Medicare? On the heels of this question getting some necessary public attention from Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dan Feliciano, the single payer advocacy organization Vermont Leads posted, “Just in case you've seen this… you should understand the state has no desire (or ability) to take over Medicare.” Robin Lunge, the Shumlin Administration’s Director of Health Care Reform, was quoted as saying, "It's never been our intention to take away or reduce people's Medicare benefits.” (VT Digger, 10/7/14)
These statements range from dishonest to misleading.

The foundation of evidence-based research has eroded and the trend must be reversed so patients and clinicians can make wise shared decisions about their health, say Dartmouth researchers in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Doctors Glyn Elwyn and Elliott Fisher of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice are authors of the report, which highlights five major problems set against a backdrop of “obvious corruption.” They say there is a dearth of transparent research and a low quality of evidence synthesis; and, the difficulty of obtaining research funding for comparative effectiveness studies is directly related to the prominence of industry-supported trials. “Finance dictates the activity.”

The annual open enrollment period for State employees to choose among medical plans begins November 1. Human Resources Commissioner Maribeth Spellman announced today that the plans will see a 17.9 percent premium increase in 2015 for active State employees and non-Medicare retirees, while Medicare retirees will see a decrease or very small increase (-2.3 percent or +1.0 percent) depending on their plan.

The increase for active employees is driven primarily by significantly greater than expected high cost claims experience beginning in the 3rd quarter of 2013, which correlates with increased inpatient utilization, including hospital admissions and days spent in the hospital.

A new program at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is attracting podiatry students from across the country who want to train with an outstanding medical staff in a rural hospital. The new podiatry surgical residency program, which launched earlier this year, began with two recent graduates, Dr Vu Nguyen from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA, and Dr Michael Banh from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

The two newly minted podiatrists will work closely during their three-year stint with Dr William Sarchino, the program director. Dr. Sarchino is a local podiatrist based in Bennington and Greenwich, N.Y. He is a member of American Podiatric Medical Association, a fellow of the American Academy of Wound Healing, and is the president of the American College of Lower Extremity Surgeons. Sarchino, who has taught in England and holds a medical license there, also is a well-known author of scientific papers on podiatric surgery.

American Beer Day returns on October 27th to honor the nation’s favorite cold beverage and celebrate US brewers who have perfected their craft from coast to coast. To help guide thirsty patriots as they seek to imbibe, Roomkey.com has listed its top destinations for craft beer, from Portland, Oregon to Burlington, Vermont. Each brew city on the list boasts exceptional breweries, offering locals and travelers alike the opportunity to enjoy uniquely American creations.

Roomkey.com’s top seven craft beer destinations are:

Burlington, VT

This sleepy college town has the most breweries per capita with just over two dozen filling the area. Magic Hat Brewing Company is one of the most recognized, and is a great place to check out beer being brewed.

Denver, CO

Vermont will receive $90,000 from Lead Concepts, Inc, a company based in Grapevine, Texas, that generated leads for insurance agents by sending direct mailings to Vermonters, many of them elderly, asking them to return postcards with their age and spouse’s name and age, without explaining how the information would be used. Such activity is a violation of state and federal law. Under the settlement, Lead Concepts will pay the State $90,000 and be required to clearly disclose the purpose of its mailings in the future.

According to Attorney General William Sorrell, the settlement reflects his commitment to ensuring that personal information is not obtained for commercial reasons from seniors and other Vermonters without their informed consent. “Privacy is a core value in Vermont, and I will vigorously enforce the law to protect it,” he said.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine IBM (NYSE: IBM) and GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced that they have signed a Definitive Agreement under which GLOBALFOUNDRIES plans to acquire IBM's global commercial semiconductor technology business, including intellectual property, workers and technologies related to IBM Microelectronics, subject to completion of applicable regulatory reviews. IBM will pay GLOBALFOUNDRIES $1.5 billion and in return receive some service contracts. The deal includes the Vermont plant in Essex Junction and essentially all of its employees. Governor Peter Shumlin said that he has spoken with GLOBALFOUNDRIES officials and they have told him they plan to keep the plant and employees as is.

The Vermont Technology Alliance, an industry trade group representing Vermont’s tech businesses, is proud to announce the finalists of the 2014 Vermont Tech Jam Awards, sponsored by Merchants Bank. There are two awards: The Innovation Award is presented to the individual or business with the most innovative new product, application of technology, or way of doing business. The Ambassador Award is presented to an individual or business whose leadership and actions positively represent Vermont as a home for technology business, and whose efforts help put Vermont “on the map” as a place for technology businesses to start, succeed and grow. Tech Jam is October 24 and 25 , held at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, and is free to attend.

Lake Champlain has received yet another world-class fishing designation. Renowned fishing media outlet, World Fishing Network, ranks Lake Champlain one of the seven best smallmouth bass lakes in North America. The ranking, which was first reported on WFN’s website, describes Lake Champlain as “perhaps the best lake in all of North America for both quality largemouth and smallmouth bass.”

“This reinforces what Vermonters have known for years, that Lake Champlain has some of the best bass fishing anywhere,” said Vermont Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “Not only does the big lake have some of the best fishing, it also offers some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere, especially at this time of year.”

EPA awards Healthy Communities Grants to 14 community-based projects across New England, including two for Vermont. The grant funds for New England total about $340,637 that will go towards community projects addressing environmental and public health issues in New England. EPA’s Healthy Communities Grant Program brings together discretionary funding across many different programs to fund community projects that reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health, improve the quality of life, and advance resilience.

This year there were a large number of applicants for Healthy Communities Grants. There were initially 70 submissions for applications. This year EPA selected 14 projects to receive grants totaling $340,637.

Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) recognized four Vermonters for their outstanding efforts promoting renewable energy business this year at Renewable Energy 2014: “Leading the Change in Energy,” an annual renewable energy conference. RE2014 is Vermont’s annual convention bringing together key players in the clean energy sector. The conference was held Thursday and Friday at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington.

Governor Shumlin speaks at RE2014 Friday. Photo by James K Buck.