Healthy Vermont Bill on Its Way to the Governor’s Desk

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(GMD’s policy is to promote diaries from officeholders and officeseekers. – promoted by kestrel9000)

Sent this press release out tonight….

Senate gives final approval to the health care reform bill

MONTPELIER, VT – The Senate gave final approval to S.88, the Healthy Vermont bill, and sent it to the Governor. The final Senate vote was 25-4. The bill calls for the state to hire an expert to create three design options for a health care system for Vermont, with one option being a single payer system and one being a public option. The third option is open, so the expert can explore different models and give Vermont choices.

The bill seemed to be tied up in political wrangling during the afternoon, but was brought to the floor for a vote late in the evening. Senator Doug Racine (D-Chittenden), chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, had ushered the bill through the legislative process. Reporting the bill on the floor, he reminded Senators of what they were voting on, saying, “This bill is about fundamental health care reform, so we can have universal coverage that is affordable for all Vermonters.”

Racine had worked to build consensus on the bill, and the strong vote reflected the coalitions that had been built. “This bill reflects good work by the committees in both the Senate and the House and productive feedback from interested citizens and groups,” Racine explained. “I am proud of our work and look forward to working to implement our new health care system next year.”

The bill will now go to the Governor, who can either sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without his signature.

9 thoughts on “Healthy Vermont Bill on Its Way to the Governor’s Desk”

  1. Thanks to Doug Racine there is a possibility that Vermonters will one day have good health care regardless of their socio-economic status.

  2. Mr. Racine was not the only driver behind this bill, but he was very instrumental in getting it done.

    Thank you Doug.

  3. And I will post from the FREEP so no one says I am slamming Doug Racine. This spends money on outside consulting. It sounds so much like Challenges for Change it scares me:

    For some lawmakers and advocates, the heart of the health care bill is its directive that a consultant be hired to design three health-insurance systems the state might adopt, including a government-financed system.

    I don’t understand why more consultants are needed after Doug has been working on this issue for 30 years in the legislature.

  4. I, too, am a bit skeptical of anyone who pats themselves on the back for “planning to plan”.

    That is, for all the time, energy and discussion spent on this bill, the legislation doesn’t actually accomplish much. While more opportunities may become available as a result of the passage of this bill, I prefer to reserve my praise for those who want credit for the day when legislators actually accomplish health care reform in Vermont for Vermonters.

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