Racine on Health Care

[Chris Santee]

The following was sent to me by Racine for Governor.
I post it here for your information:

Senator Doug Racine Moves Health Care Reform Forward
Bill is "essential next step" for state

MONTPELIER, VT -- Senate Health and Welfare Committee chairman Doug Racine will introduce a bill today that will design the system that will deliver real health care to Vermonters, and answer all of the questions that need to be answered to implement this new system. The bill will be introduced at 1:30 pm in the committee. The bill will call for the state to hire independent advisors, who will be overseen by a panel of Vermonters, to provide the state with a “menu of options.” These advisors will design three different health care systems—fully design them, not just study them—and deliver back to the legislature a full implementation plan for each of the three possible systems. 

"This is the essential next step in health care reform that will lead to universal access to affordable health care for all Vermonters," Racine explained. "What is needed is true systemic reform, and we cannot have real reform without a real plan to create a whole new system—a not-for-profit system that strives to promote health and prevent disease, while at the same time provides care to those who need it."

As a candidate for governor, Racine promised last fall to move health care reform forward this year in the legislature. After holding a well-attended public hearing in January, Racine has held a series of committee hearings to examine the many bills introduced this year. Racine stated, "I am convinced that health care reform is not only necessary for the well being of Vermonters, it is necessary if Vermont is to pull out of the economic crisis that we are facing. Universal access and affordability are critical to dealing with several economic issues that we are facing."

The proposed bill requires not only a design for each option, but an implementation plan, and it will include a list for each plan of the total cost and how it will be paid for, the pros and cons, how it will ensure that every Vermonter has access to health care, and what the unintended consequences might be—in terms of the economy, jobs, and health care delivery systems.

"We must move away from simply 'managing disease' and create an expectation that all people deserve good health and good health care," Racine noted.

The bill will be introduced as a strike-all amendment to S.88, and will follow the basic structure of S.88, with the added requirements. The bill will also include a requirement to adhere to the five principles called for by the Health Care is a Human Right campaign.

Racine's full statement on the bill can be found at http://dougracine.com/about/positions/health-care/plan.

[Chris Santee]

Press Release:

Comprehensive Health Care Bill Moving Forward
Doug Racine leads process to redesign health care system

MONTPELIER, VT -- The Senate Health and Welfare Committee today unanimously passed S.88, which calls for a complete overhaul of Vermont's health care system. The bill creates an oversight panel to hire expert advisors who will design an implementation plan for health care reform. The stated purpose of the redesign is "to ensure that individual programs and initiatives can be placed into a larger, more rational design for access to, the delivery of, and the financing of health care in Vermont."

"This bill lays out principles and goals which will ensure that our new health care system will guarantee all Vermonters quality, affordable health care every day of their lives," committee chairman Doug Racine noted. "We've made a lot of progress by tweaking our current system and picking the low hanging fruit, but now we need systemic changes to make real progress."

Under the proposal, the new health care system will be in place by July 1, 2012. The bill calls for three complete system designs - one of which must be a government-financed, single payer system - to come back to the governor and the legislature by January 1, 2011. The legislature will then choose one of the designs and begin the implementation phase. The designs called for in the bill must be complete packages, ready for execution as soon as the preferred option is chosen.

"This is the essential next step in health care reform that will lead to universal access to affordable health care for all Vermonters," Racine explained. "What is needed is true systemic reform, and we cannot have real reform without a real plan to create a whole new system—and this bill creates that new system."

The bill will now move to the Appropriations committee and then to the full senate. "I am optimistic that we can get this bill through the senate quickly," Racine commented. "By listening to the various stakeholders and including many different interests in the discussion, we have crafted a bill that achieves systemic reform and addresses the concerns that have been raised."

Racine, a candidate for governor, has made health care reform one of the priorities of his campaign. More information can be found at his website: www.dougracine.com.