Health Care

Vermont passed legislation in 2011 which was designed to bring health care costs under control by developing a fully integrated system that would cover all Vermonters. There were three phases to the legislation. The first was the creation of the Green Mountain Care Board. This five member board, appointed by the Governor, has broad powers including approval of all hospital budgets, insurer rates, and development of a universal benefit package for all Vermonters. The general principle is that we must move away from fee-for-service reimbursement and toward a system that rewards quality and value.

We are going to organize a panel on insurance at our March 1-3, 2012 West Palm Beach conference and hope to really get a national conversation going. Insurance is a state by state issue UNLESS Medicare takes it on. With the costs rising for conventional cancer treatment - sometimes to insane leveles - this may happen.

We need a leader for the issue and petitions started. I have been told that insurance companies fear that supporting healthy behavior could 'cost too much'. But I do not see that myself.

Perhaps if people come to our Facebook page Annnie Appleseed Project (nonprofit) and express their feelings on this, we can take it further.