This is confusing because what Green Mountain Care is right now is not what the health reform law contemplates for the future. Green Mountain Care is currently the collective name for Vermont’s public health insurance programs: Medicaid, Catamount Health, VHAP, Dr. Dynasaur, Medicaid, Premium Assistance, and Pharmacy Assistance. Information about the insurance options offered in Green Mountain Care is available at www.greenmountaincare.org or 1-800-250-8427.
Ultimately, Green Mountain Care is to become the “publicly financed health care program delivering affordable, high-quality health care coverage to all residents of Vermont.” This is the single payer plan. There are a number of essential milestones that must be met before Green Mountain Care will go into effect, including getting a waiver under the federal ACA from the obligation to operate a health insurance exchange and arranging sustainable financing that provides a “silver” level of coverage for Vermonters while cutting the cost growth curve, reducing administrative expenses, and paying providers fairly.
We are not there yet, however, and will likely not be there until after 2017, when the federal waivers are scheduled to become available. For now, it is the creation and implementation of Vermont’s health insurance exchange that is the pivotal “next step” for Vermonters, and it will affect all small businesses (50 or less employees) and individuals starting in 2014.
We will continue to stay abreast of the developments associated with state and federal health care reform and write about them here, so please stay tuned.
