Archive for the 'Vermont' Category

According to the newly-released 2008 Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey, the cost of health insurance premiums is the single biggest barrier to obtaining coverage.  Two-thirds of the uninsured who responded to the survey said cost was the only reason they didn’t have coverage, and another 21 percent said cost was one of the main reasons. Continue reading ‘Vermont Report Highlights the Issue of Affordability’

HCHCW Vermont joined with the Vermont Campaign for Health Security to produce a new video designed to explain the health insurance options available to direct-care workers in Vermont.  The video, “Health Insurance Options for Direct-Care Workers in Vermont”, features PHI’s Northern New England Policy Director, Alex Olins, and Diane McGill, a direct-care worker from Vermont.  In the short video, Alex answers questions from Diane about the various plans available under Green Mountain Care, a family of health insurance plans subsidized by the state.

The video is being promoted to workers through long-term care employers, the Vermont Association of Professional Caregivers, and the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security.

Allison Lee
National Campaign Manager
HCHCW
alee@phinational.org

State flag of Vermont

PHI has partnered with the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security’s Education Fund  on an effort to increase outreach to direct care workers about their health insurance options in Vermont.  The state of Vermont offers several subsidized health insurance products, including Medicaid, the Vermont Health Access Program (VHAP) and Catamount, which was launched in 2007.  Despite these three health insurance options, collectively called Green Mountain Care, many direct care workers do not have health insurance.
Continue reading ‘HCHCW to Increase Outreach Efforts in Vermont’

I am my husband’s caregiver.   He suffered from a debilitating stroke 10 years ago when he was 61 years old.  My full time job is to take care of my husband, and because of the failing economy, the state’s ability to pay my wages is now in jeopardy.  What I get from the state pays for my bills, and leaves little extra for anything else.

I have Ladies First. Ladies First is a state program that covers mammograms at a discounted price, on an annual basis. I qualify for that because of my income, and because I don’t have any other health insurance. Continue reading ‘Caught In the Gap without Health Coverage’

This past summer, HCHCW expanded into Vermont with an outreach campaign to direct-care workers about a new health care program in the state – Catamount Health.  Catamount Health,  in conjunction with Medicaid, the Vermont Health Access Program (VHAP) and Dr. Dynosaur (a program to insure children), offers subsidized, comprehensive health insurance to Vermonters with incomes of up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (or individuals with a gross monthly income of $2,613).  This group of programs is known as Green Mountain Care.  Catamount Health went into effect in the fall of 2007. Continue reading ‘HCHCW Expands to Vermont’