A committee of the Vermont Senate is expected to work an extra day today – and a long one at that – as lawmakers push to finish work on a bill that would move the state toward Gov. Peter Shumlin’s goal of universal, single-payer health care.
Lawmakers usually work Tuesday through Friday, but Senate Health and Welfare Committee members say they’re expecting to work from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. today finishing their version of the bill, a version of which already passed the House.
The bill calls for setting up a new health insurance marketplace, called an exchange, where consumers could compare benefit packages and costs offered by various insurance plans. It would also set up a 5-person board to design a health insurance system to serve every Vermonter.