Shumlin's "Nothing Burger" is Grilled

Vermonters for Health Care Freedom

Shumlin's "Nothing Burger" is Grilled - But Certainly Not Well Done

Vermonters for Health Care Freedom is continuing our newsletter series on the Federal and Vermont Health Care Exchanges. Our aim is to provide useful information to our client businesses and newsletter recipients, to help you wade through the Vermont ObamaCare Exchange, known as “Vermont Health Connect”, and to keep you updated on related happenings at the federal level. 

We are looking for an intern to cover legislative health care sessions, be active on social media, cover Green Mountain Care Board meetings, attend legislative hearings, and do research. This is a great opportunity to get involved in the most important issue facing Vermont! Please send work history and interests todarciejohnston@consult.net or call Darcie Johnston at 236-4807.

Quote of the Week: "One legislator did ask Commissioner Mark Larson what he would have suggested the legislature do differently given the benefit of perfect 2020 hindsight. His answer: Nothing -- and that's the sort of responses leaving legislators concerned with the program's future as well."

In This Issue:

• Vermont Medicaid Enrollment Projections Soar
• Grilling the "Nothing Burger"
• Vermont Health Connect Scorecard
• VHCF 11/5/2013 Press Release: Shumlin Invokes Waiver, But Thousands of Vermonters Are Still At Risk 

Breaking News:

Vermont Medicaid Enrollment Projections Soar

As reported by Kaiser Health News this week, Medicaid enrollment has been higher than private insurance enrollment since the Affordable Care Act exchanges opened on October 1. One reason for the initial influx is that lower income individuals pre-qualify for Medicaid because they are already in low income state health care plans.
In Vermont, about 1,000 individuals have signed up for Medicaid. In addition, 30,000 adults enrolled in the Catamount and VHAP plans will be rolled into the expanded Medicaid program. By 2015 Medicaid enrollment is expected to reach 160,000.

This number is significant because it represents 25.4% of Vermont’s population. By contrast, states with much greater populations are expecting far smaller per capita Medicaid enrollments:

State	Medicaid	Total Population
Connecticut	55,000	3,590,347
Illinois	342,000	12,875,255
New Mexico	130,000	12,875,255
Vermont	160,000	630,000

Grilling the "Nothing Burger"

This week Vermont legislators finally took Governor Shumlin, DVHA Commissioner Mark Larson, and Robin Lunge to task for the incredibly botched ongoing performance of the Vermont Health Connect website. After more than six weeks of misleading Vermonters and alleging that a fix was imminent, Shumlin and company finally admitted what everyone has known all along: It doesn't work now, and it isn't going to work anytime soon.

Vermonters for Health Care Freedom has repeatedly challenged and called upon the Governor to admit the obvious, and to put Vermonters out of the misery of trying to cross the bridge that goes nowhere. Steadfastly he has refused to do so, insisting on prolonging the agony instead of doing what he should have done long ago – show real leadership.

Real leadership involves telling the truth the first time you're asked, and looking ahead to protect the best interests of Vermonters, rather than one's own political agenda. That would have entailed exercising the extension waiver that the legislature placed in Act 171 for this very purpose, and doing so prior to October 1.

This is not a far-fetched idea. The fundamental and underlying technical problems that exist with both the Federal exchange and Vermont's exchange were well known and well documented prior to October 1. They are not minor. Nor will they be quickly or easily fixed. It was well known and well documented for months prior to October 1 that Vermont Health Connect would not be ready by then, either. Yet the Governor and his staff chose to ignore the signs and the facts.

This was not good stewardship and it was not good governance. We call upon the Governor to exercise both going forward.

Vermonters for Health Care Freedom has called for the governor to protect all Vermonters by allowing insurers to extend their current policies for 1 year to individuals, small businesses and association plans. More voices are being added to this call, including some in Congress calling for a one year extension of the federally-run exchanges as well.

Rather than string Vermonters along with piecemeal extensions - (first, October 1 to November 1, 2013; nowNovember 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014) – the Governor should JUST DO IT. Relieve insurers from trying to parse annual deductibles for a 3 month period and figure out what to do about premiums - and most of all, relieve the Vermont residents to whom he is accountable - from this never ending merry-go-round. Give Vermonters the security and peace of mind they deserve going into the holiday season. No one has the time to mess with this any longer.

Vermont Health Connect Scorecard Update:

Maintain a secure and continuous connection to the Federal Data Hub:

• Score: F
• VHC continues to refuse to demonstrate, most recently on 11/4/2013, when asked to do so by Representative Mary Morrisey

Connect with and transfer records without issue or delay to the three insurance carriers, Blue Cross, MVP and Delta Dental

• Score: F
• Unknown
• Blue Cross says that the task is “unprecedented”

Share site information with Vermonters without delays or computer interruption issues

• Score: D
• Many businesses and individuals unable to sign in
• Many brokers and navigators unable to sign in
  

Vermonters able to create accounts and sign up for coverage 

• Score: D -
• Administration failed to implement a workable exchange by the October 1 deadline, or by their November 1 extension date.
• State resorts to paper forms that are incomplete and unwieldy.
  

Meet December 15th deadline so that 100,000 Vermonters won’t lose or have lapses in coverage

• Score: F
• Governor finally exercises waiver option in Act 171; extends enrollment deadline to March 31, 2014, allowing extension of current plans until 3/312014.
• VHCF calls on the Governor to implement a 1 year extension, allowing Vermonters and insurers to continue doing business as usual while the exchange kinks are worked out at both the Federal and State levels. 
  

VHCF 11/5/2013 Press Release: Shumlin Invokes Waiver, But Thousands of Vermonters Are Still At Risk.