It’s on to the Vermont Senate for an ambitious health care reform bill that would put Vermont on the path toward a single-payer health care system.
The bill – support for which was the subject of a Statehouse rally featuring doctors and medical students on Saturday – calls for a statewide, publicly funded health insurance to be set up by the middle of the decade.
The bill first would have the state come into compliance with last year’s federal health reform law by creating a health insurance marketplace – called an exchange – that would let people more easily comparison shop for health insurance. The exchange would later be converted to the new Green Mountain Care system.
The Senate is expected to pass the bill, but with some changes possible.