2012 = $20 for 12!

Looking for a way to help out the VT GOP a little bit each month, so we can restore balance and common sense in Montpelier?

The VT GOP’s “$20 for 12″ program is a great way to help out your state party!

You can pay $20 each month for 12 months – either via monthly check or credit card.  We’ll remind you when your payments are coming due.  And if you would prefer to pay all $240 for the entire year all at once, you can do that too!

The elections of 2012 will have profound and lasting impacts for Vermont.  NOW more than ever, it is imperative that we stand up, speak out, and DEMAND that our government work on behalf of ALL Vermonters.

As a bonus, all “$20 for 12″ members will also be our guest at the 2012 VT GOP Fall Dinner and will receive special recognition.

If you would like to participate in the “$20 for 12″ program, please fill out the form below and mail it back to us.  If you would prefer to just send us an email indicating you would like to parcipate, that’s okay too!

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Senator Randy Brock – who recently announced his campaign for Governor – was on “You Can Quote Me” on WCAX this past Sunday, talking about his campaign and the challenges facing Vermont.  Check it out at the link below!

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The Shumlin Administration doesn’t know how they are going to pay for their single payer dreams . . . or if they know, they aren’t letting Vermonters in on the secret!

As part of the Administration’s “Listening Tour” to gather input on how they could possibly raise the hundreds of millions – or even billions – of dollars they will need to collect from Vermonters to fund single payer, a number of potential funding sources were identified.  Surprisingly, one exercise even suggested the property tax as a way to fund single payer health care . . . nevermind the fact that Vermont’s property taxes are already sky high!

Republicans in the Vermont House know that their constituents can’t possibly be asked to pay more in property taxes to fund government-managed health care.  So, several of them demanded that Governor Shumlin take property taxes off the single payer funding menu.

You can read the release from the House Republicans below.  You can also read about the dust-up in this article from the Brattleboro Reformer.

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New Property Tax to Fund Healthcare?

Republicans Want Property Tax Off the Table as Funding Source

Rep. Patti Komline of Dorset, a long-time advocate for property tax reform, commented, “Governor Shumlin was a leading advocate for higher property taxes under Act 60, so we need to know that he won’t go back to the property tax again to fund his latest initiative.”

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ICEBERGS AHEAD

Exchange Impacts Loom Large for VT Employers

Decisions being made about Vermont’s federally mandated health care exchange could have profound implications for Vermont businesses and residents.  As reported by VT Digger, employers are increasingly concerned by the impact these new health care exchanges will have on their employee’s health care coverage – as well as their bottom line:

“The federally mandated health benefit exchange will likely limit the number of insurers and plans employers can choose from, and it’s this squeeze on the variety of available options and associated costs that Vermont companies are worried about.”

(Read the full article at www.vtdigger.org:  New federal, state rules for health care insurance rattle businesses).

The stakes are higher in Vermont than in other states, as the Shumlin Administration has been open about their intent to use the exchange framework as their pathway to a taxpayer-funded, government-managed single-payer system.

“The spirit of the exchanges was that Americans would have the ability to choose between insurers and pick the health care coverage that best meets their needs,” says Pat McDonald, VT GOP Chair.  ”But here in Vermont, Governor Shumlin seems determined to use the exchange framework to limit choice and to limit competition.”

“When the Affordable Care Act was being debated in Washington, President Obama promised Americans that if they liked their current health care coverage, they could keep it,” McDonald continued.  ”It remains to be seen whether that promise applies to the citizens of Vermont.”

McDonald also poked fun at the “play money” that is being distributed during the Administration’s “listening tour” in an effort to help participants discuss health care spending*:

“I have to shake my head and laugh at the fact that the Administration is fiddling around with play money.  That says to me that they still have absolutely no idea how to pay for their centrally-planned system,” said McDonald.  ”This is no time for Monopoly money.  This is a time to have a real discussion about what taxes the Administration plans to raise to pay for single-payer, and how those costs will be distributed in our small state.”

“The simple truth is that there are many icebergs ahead for the Administration on their quest for single payer:  how to pay for it, the countless waivers they need, the opposition they will get from Vermonters that like their current health care coverage and want to keep it,” she continued.  ”In light of all those hurdles, the Administration should resist the temptation to use the exchanges to push their single payer dreams, and instead come up with an exchange plan that is in keeping with the spirit of the federal law.”

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* Background on the “play money”:  The instructions for “Exercise 2: Health Care Reform Financing Sources” distributed at the November 29th public forum in Brattleboro are as follows:  “EXPRESS YOUR PREFERENCE.  All meeting attendees are provided an envelope with $1,000 of money (in $100 denominations -10 X $100).  There are boxes representing the non-federal and provider funding sources described during the presentation. After discussion around the circle, participants should put what they believe to be the proper allocation of their money into the boxes to fund Vermont’s future health care program.”

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Happy Thanksgiving! 

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VT GOP ELECTS OFFICERS

Montpelier, VT . . . The Vermont Republican Party held its annual organizational meeting on Saturday, November 19th in Montpelier.

Pat McDonald was re-elected to the post of Party Chair, and the Vermont Republican State Committee members also chose the following Vermonters to serve as VT GOP officers:

- Paul Carroccio, Vice-Chair

- Mark Snelling, Treasurer

- Steve Webster, Assistant Treasurer

- Rob Roper, Secretary

- Senator Randy Brock, At-Large Delegate to the Executive Committee

- Mary Daly, At-Large Delegate to the Executive Committee

“The Vermont Republican Party is quietly building strength with a solid message of Growth, Opportunity and Prosperity,” said McDonald.  “We are collectively focusing on the upcoming legislative session and the elections of 2012, and we are going to work hard each and every day to return balance and common sense to Montpelier.”

Prior to voting, delegates were energized by remarks from Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, Auditor Tom Salmon, Senator Bill Doyle, Representative Don Turner, and McDonald.  National Committeewoman Susie Hudson and National Committeeman George Schiavone gave an update on the national political scene.

VT GOP’s new Executive Director Mike Bertrand also addressed the crowd.  Bertrand indicated that a key message for the party in 2012 will be returning balance to the State House and ending one-party rule:

“We have got to return some sense of balance to Montpelier,” said Bertrand.  “The simple truth is that Vermonters want elected leaders to act in the best interests of all Vermonters, and to develop sound policy solutions to our shared problems.  One party rule is not what Vermont needs at this critical time.”

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Health Care Report Ignores Some Big Questions

by Pat McDonald, VT GOP Chair

As Governor Shumlin and the Democratic leadership of the Vermont Legislature continue their efforts to transform our state’s health care system into a centrally-planned and government-managed system, it has become clear that they would like us to focus exclusively on the potential upsides of their new system while ignoring the downsides.

We all agree that health care costs are unsustainable and that something needs to be done to bend the cost curve.  Bending that curve will require government to make smart and rational decisions, and be cognizant of the impacts those decisions will have on health care consumers and providers and Vermont’s employers.

In response to a 2011 legislative mandate, the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office and the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration recently issued a Report that focused on the cost of Vermont’s health care system, and the potential savings that might accrue from the proposed system.  The Report estimates that under a single-payer system, Vermont could reduce health care expenditures by nearly $2 billion by 2020.

The most stunning aspect of the Report, however, is what it ignores:  there is no mention of how to fund such a system, and there is no discussion of how this system will affect Vermonters, Vermont businesses, and Vermont’s network of health care providers.

Curiously, the Report also includes savings that the State was already hoping to achieve from the Blueprint for Health Chronic Care Initiative.  Those “Blueprint savings” should be in our health care spending baseline, and not counted as “single payer savings.”

Furthermore, no information is provided regarding coverage:  that is, what medical and pharmaceutical benefits will be covered under the system, and what benefits will not be covered.  For example, will there be limits on the quantity of services Vermonters receive, such as an annual maximum number of visits to a physical therapist?  What portion of the cost of care must be paid by the patient?  How will Vermonters access care from providers whose services are not covered under the new system, and how will we access care at out-of-state health care facilities?

Don’t we need to know the answers to these questions?  Don’t we need to know where the revenues are coming from, what the benefits package will be and how much it will cost each of us? Right now we only have a “plan to plan” with few details – other than an incomplete financial model.  A financing proposal is due to be reported by the Secretary of Administration in January 2013 – but that is more than a year away.

Another question which needs to be asked:  Why aren’t we working to maintain and build on those best practices already in place?  For example, Vermont has a strong fully-insured large group market, a strong and large self-insured (ERISA) group market, a strong state employee health care plan, and a unique “Choices for Care” waiver that stands out nationally and puts home health care and institutional care on an even footing with individuals needing long-term care.  We also have the Medicaid “Global Commitment” waiver that has given Vermont the opportunity to use federal dollars more flexibly to help improve health care quality and outcomes for Vermonters.

Dr. Hsiao cautioned that there will be winners and losers with the implementation of a single-payer system – it’s important for us to know who they are.  It’s important that we talk about solutions, consider all viable choices and build on what is good in Vermont’s health care system – with as much transparency as possible.

We need to ensure that we do not lose ground on Vermont’s legitimate advances to date in the public and private health care sectors. We need to broaden our thinking and not simply focus on a one-size-fits-all system to the benefit of all Vermonters.

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Pat McDonald, Chair of the VT GOP, was a guest this week on “You Can Quote Me” on WCAX. Pat talked about a wide range of issues, including health care and energy, and also talked about the upcoming 2012 elections. View the video below:

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VT GOP Chair Pat McDonald was a guest this week on True North Reports TV with host Rob Roper. Pat talked about the upcoming elections, legislative matters and the VT GOP’s message of Growth, Opportunity and Prosperity. Check it out!

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