Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) voted to approve the experimental all-payer waiver agreement. Gov. Shumlin will sign the All-Payer Model (APM) into law on Thursday, once again overhauling the state’s healthcare system. Expressing a lack of confidence in the Shumlin Administration, House Republican Leader Don Turner asked GMCB Chair Al Gobeille to provide a letter before the vote, assuring that the APM complies with all the benchmarks (including the requirements for any Medicare waiver agreement made between Vermont and the federal government), as specified under Act 113 of Vermont law.
Rep. Turner said, “I am disappointed that Mr. Gobeille chose not to honor the reasonable request to provide a written assurance. Given the gross mismanagement of healthcare reform projects over the past six years by the Shumlin Administration, and the numerous unanswered questions regarding the risks and outcomes of the All-Payer Model, I would have liked to see the head of the independent GMCB offer a measure of certainty to Vermonters, at the very least.”
“I find the haste with which the Shumlin Administration has sought to enact APM, coupled with the glaring lack of civic participation and media coverage leading to the GMCB vote today, deeply regrettable,” Rep. Turner added.
“Robust democracy requires that those in power not shirk the heavy lifting of persuasion and public dialogue. While elected officials are accountable to the voters, the same is not true for state appointed bureaucrats. To ensure that all future decision-making follows a more transparent and inclusive process, I call that we seriously consider the possibility of eliminating the Green Mountain Care Board, and reinstating the State Legislature’s authority in dealing with the healthcare needs of Vermonters,” Rep. Turner concluded.