Press Releases
Read the latest information and announcements about Green Mountain Care.
For all media and press inquiries please contact Susan Besio at (802) 879-5901 or susan.besio@ahs.state.vt.us.
Catamount Health Insurance Program Available
Secretary of Human Services, January 28, 2009
Waterbury, VT - Secretary of AHS Robert Hofmann made clear today that Catamount Health, one of a group of health insurance options offered through the umbrella program Green Mountain Care, continues to operate. Normally continued operations does not warrant a press release, but State officials became aware recently of some public concern that the program might be frozen or financially undercut in its mission to access to affordable care for uninsured Vermonters. Said Hofmann, "Catamount Health is fully operational and accepting new applications". In addition, the Governor is proposing changes to Catamount Health that will increase accessibility to health care and further reduce the number of Vermonters who otherwise would be forced to delay needed medical treatment. When care is delayed, treatment often becomes more expensive; driving higher shared costs for everyone. Full Text.
2008 Vermont Hospital Report Cards Now Available on BISHCA’s Website; Data compares hospital quality of care and pricing
Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA), July 7, 2008
Montpelier, VT— How well, comparatively, do Vermont hospitals prevent the spread of the so-called “superbugs” and other in-hospital infections? How does the price of a procedure at one Vermont hospital compare to others? How do surgical mortality numbers compare around the state? How satisfied were patients in general with the care they received? How healthy are individual hospitals, financially? These and numerous other performance categories are available for consumers to compare online, hospital to hospital. The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) oversees the annual collection of the data, now in its 4th year. It is updated and expanded each June on a part of the BISHCA website called the Vermont Hospital Report Cards (www.vthospitalreportcards.info). The BISHCA report also compares Vermont hospital performance to national averages in many categories. Notably, Vermont was among the first in the country to report hospital-specific infection rates, and today, only a handful of states report them as yet. Full Text
Vermont Ranks #1 for Overall Child Well-Being in Nationwide Report
Official Website for Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, May 8, 2008
A nationwide report released last month by the Washington, D.C., based Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF), entitled Geography Matters: Child Well-Being in the States has ranked Vermont the #1 state in the country for overall child well-being.
The report ranked each of the 50 states on 10 commonly recognized indicators of child well-being, compiled mainly from official government sources. Vermont ranked #1 nationwide in four of these measures: lowest rate of infant mortality, lowest juvenile incarceration rate, lowest rate of child abuse fatalities, and lowest rate of pregnant women receiving late or no prenatal care. Vermont also ranked #2 for its low rate of deaths of children aged 1-14, and low rate of births to teen mothers. Full Text
Vermont healthiest state in country -- Governor highlights health care reforms, says more to be done
Official Website for Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, November 5, 2007
Montpelier, Vt. — A non-profit health advocacy group, working with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, has ranked Vermont the healthiest state in the country, the office of Governor Jim Douglas announced today.
The ranking lists each state on 20 measures of wellness, including high school graduation, obesity and infant mortality rates, their focus on preventive medicine and wellness and the percentage of residents with health insurance. Full Text
Governor Douglas introduces comprehensive family of health coverage options for uninsured Vermonters
Official Website for Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, November 1, 2007
RUTLAND, Vt. – Gov. Jim Douglas (R-VT) and members of the Vermont General Assembly today announced Green Mountain Care, the comprehensive family of low-cost and free health coverage programs for uninsured Vermonters. The newest program under Green Mountain Care is the much-anticipated Catamount Health which opened for enrollment on October 1, 2007. Other programs include the well-known Dr. Dynasaur program for uninsured kids, Vermont Health Access Plan (VHAP), Medicaid and Prescription Assistance programs.
“Green Mountain Care represents the most comprehensive package of health coverage options the state has ever seen,” said Governor Jim Douglas. “While we are very proud that more than 90 percent of Vermonters have health coverage, it is a top priority to offer everyone in our state access to affordable insurance.” Full Text
AARP recognizes Vermont’s landmark health care reforms as ‘the most progressive’ in the country -- Governor accepts award on state’s behalf
Official Website for Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, December 19, 2006
New York, NY – Governor Jim Douglas yesterday was honored by AARP for his work to reach an agreement on health care reform with the Vermont Legislature last year.
"As a Republican governor faced with a solidly Democratic legislature, Governor Jim Douglas could have succumbed to the inevitable gridlock that often mires tough issues," AARP noted. "But in May, after two years of negotiations, Douglas signed the most progressive health care law in the country, making affordable health insurance available to everyone in the state of Vermont." Full Text
Governor signs comprehensive health care reform legislation
Official Website for Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, May 25, 2006
Montpelier, Vt. — Governor Jim Douglas today signed health care reform legislation that launches aggressive cost containment provisions for Vermonters with health insurance and extends affordable insurance coverage to those currently without it.
Governor Douglas, who praised legislators for their work, said this was a shared victory for the people of Vermont. "We have taken extraordinary, even historic, steps toward achieving our goals of providing universal access to affordable health insurance for all Vermonters, improving quality and containing costs, and promoting healthy behavior and disease prevention across the entire lifespan through the Chronic Care Initiative," the Governor said. "These are responsible, commonsense reforms that will dramatically improve our health care system, aggressively contain costs and extend coverage to those currently without it, without undermining Vermont’s economic security." Full Text
