A series of Public forums, meetings and conversations have been organized by the Vermont Legislature in October and November 2005 to take the important discussion on reforming Vermont’s health care system out to Vermont citizens. In these discussions and conversations the Legislature is sharing information that it discovered during its work and the questions that were associated with using that information to help devise a new approach for Vermont. That approach was embodied in H.524 a bill passed by the Legislature at the end of the last session. The Legislature felt that Vermonters would benefit from seeing part of the process that legislators undertook, and that legislators would benefit from continued conversations with Vermonters as they respond to the information and questions that guided that process. Your input on these questions, and your thoughts on other related issues are welcome.

The "drivers" behind health care reform efforts are often summarized as:

Cost - Rising costs and how to control costs.

 

Access - How can we achieve universal access so all Vermonters have equitable access to care?

 

Quality - How to continually improve quality and prioritize quality improvements in the system based on our experience and what is feasible.

 

Who Pays, and How - How do we pay for the health care system we all want? How do we share costs equitably? What system can we forge so that everyone contributes and shares the cost?

 

Questions that follow our consideration of these "drivers:"

If there are to be changes in our health care system, what needs to be maintained in order for you to feel confident that a new system will meet your needs?

 

If the system is to change, what might work better for you?

 

What are the assurances you would need to support any proposed changes in out statewide health care system?

 

How might you propose we measure success? If you had to draft a list of measures of success of a health care system in meeting your needs and concerns what would be on that list?

 

If a health care system DOES NOT INCLUDE___________ I would not be able to support it because____________. Meaning, any system must have it in order for it to be acceptable.

 

To Put these questions into context they are coupled with information that explains some of the issues that lawmakers were presented with during their work in the last session. More complete information can be accessed at:

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/healthcare/

These issues are organized around the following drivers. Each driver is linked to an information sheet with one of the questions attached to it and a link to the legislative comment page for you to share your thoughts, ideas and perspectives with the legislature.

ACCESS
COST
FINANCING
QUALITY
PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE CHANGE

In addition you will find the “GOALS” of health care reform as encompassed by H.524, and a summary of the major components in H.524, as well as, the complete text of the bill H.524