Vermont Moves One Step to Closer to a Single-Payer System

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Erin McAlpin Eiselein

All eyes turned to Vermont today as Governor Peter Schumlin signed into law a bill creating a board to oversee the planning and development of a state-sponsored insurance plan, Green Mountain Care.  With the stroke of a pen, Vermont  became the first state to move significantly toward a single-payer insurance system.  One hurdle standing in Vermont's way is the need to secure a waiver from PPACA, which won't be available until 2017 under current law.  Although there appears to be support for moving that deadline up to 2014, it remains to be seen how strong that support really is.  

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Colorado Chosen by CMS to Develop Dual Eligible Integrated Care Model

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Lisa Rothrock

The new CMS Innovation Center, in cooperation with the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office, announced recently that it is partnering with fifteen states across the U.S. in an effort to design new approaches to better coordinate care for dual eligibile patients (i.e., those patients eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid). 

Colorado and fourteen other states were each awarded up to $1 million to develop a model describing how the state would structure a patient-centered approach to coordinate care across primary, acute, behavioral health, and long-term supports and services for dual eligible individuals.  This initiative is funded by the Affordable Care Act.

CMS has explained that the goal of this demonstration program is to identify delivery system and payment coordination models that eliminate duplication of services, expand access to care, and lower costs for dual eligibles.   After federal review of the proposals, CMS will work with states to implement the plans that hold the most promise, eventually testing them and replicating them in other states.

For more information on this new initiative, see the CMS Innovation Center's announcement or CMS's website and press release.

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