COMMISSION ON HEALTH CARE REFORM
MINUTES
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Members Present: Representatives John Tracy, Co-chair; Steve Maier; Janet Ancel; Francis “Topper” McFaun; Senators Jim Leddy, Co-chair; Ann Cummings; Jane Kitchel; Secretary of Administration Charles Smith (joined Commission members at the table, as a representative of the Governor prior to the Governor’s making his appointments)
Members Absent: Senator Kevin Mullin; Governor’s Appointees not yet
appointed
Also Present: Legislative and Joint Fiscal staff, members of the Administration, the press, and the public
Meeting Recorded: CD 2005 – 1, 2
1. Opening Remarks
Senator Leddy and Representative Tracy convened the meeting at 12:15 p.m. in Room 10 at the State House, Montpelier, Vermont. Senator Leddy and Representative Tracy invited Speaker Gaye Symington and President Pro Tempore Peter Welch to address the Commission.
The Speaker thanked Commission members for their good work during the legislative session and their participation in continuing to move forward. She asked the Commission members to keep in front of them the goal of a coordinated system of health care that serves all Vermonters and is focused on maintaining health, not just fixing illness. She acknowledged there are no predetermined or easy answers and thanked members for taking on the challenge.
President Pro Tempore Welch said the message to all Vermonters was an open process, and that the Legislature made progress this year by engaging in serious discussion about health care. He said the challenge was to make access to health care universal, restrain costs, and not adversely affect health care while working with all Vermonters and the Administration.
2. Commission Organization, H.516 Budget Enabling Legislation, and Appropriations Review
Documents distributed:
Senator Leddy asked Commission members to introduce themselves. Secretary of Administration Charles Smith said he was joining Commission members at the table and said the Governor had not yet made his two appointments to the Commission.
Senator Leddy commented that the room full of people on a beautiful Vermont afternoon indicated the importance of the issues surrounding health care. He also noted the importance of the health care public hearings the Senate Health and Welfare and House Health Committees would be holding in the fall.
Maria Royle, Legislative Counsel, and Catherine Benham, Joint Fiscal Office, reviewed the above documents.
3. Commission Director and Staff Hiring Process
Documents distributed:
Senator Leddy said it would be important to engage resources to assist the Commission.
Bill Russell, Legislative Counsel, reviewed the above documents. In response to questions on the time line for the hiring of a director, he said it depends on the response.
Commission members accepted the proposed Commission Director hiring process as outlined by Bill Russell, noting the Pro Tem and Speaker make the final decision.
4. Review of Studies
Documents distributed:
Maria Royle, Legislative Counsel, and Steve Kappel, Joint Fiscal Office, reviewed the above document. Secretary Smith asked if the Administration could request monetary assistance specifically for the governance and other administrative studies from the money allocated to the studies.
Senator Leddy, said as one Commission member, the answer was yes. He added it was important to be open to questions and challenges to other areas not identified in the studies.
Representative McFaun requested France be part of the international comparison studies and asked how administrative costs in the system were going to be assessed. Senator Leddy said administrative costs would come under one or more of the studies.
Senator Kitchel, addressing the financing study, said universal access and single payer were two different things, and that the place she was starting was with an open mind on the financing options.
Secretary Smith asked for consideration of a process similar to the consensus forecasts which the Administration’s and Legislature’s economists undertake relating to State revenues. He said this was his idea and not an Administration position.
Representative Maier asked about the time line for the studies and the hiring of consultants and if the Commission should wait for a Director or go ahead with a Request for Proposal process prior to hiring a director in an effort not to lose time.
Bill Russell and Catherine Benham suggested staff could draft a Request for Proposal or a Request for Information for the Co-chairs to consider. Representative Tracy noted the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration was also a participant.
5. H.516 Budget, Other Health Care Provision Overview
Maria Royle, Legislative Counsel, briefly reviewed some of the other health care provisions in the budget. Commission members said they may wish to go into more detail at a future meeting.
6. Committee Discussion
Members discussed the importance of the health care public hearings. Representative Tracy said he had asked Representatives Maier and Ancel to work on them; Senator Leddy said he would ask Senators White and Flanagan, and that the hearings would be a vehicle for public education.
7. Future Meeting Planning
The Commission agreed to meet Tuesday, July 19, 2005, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Room 10 at the State House in Montpelier.
The meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Rachel Levin
Legislative Council