Contain Health Care Cost

Making quality and affordable health care available for all Vermonters

All of the goals and initiatives within Vermont's Health Care Reform are expected to have a direct effect on containing Vermont’s health care costs.

For example, reducing the number of uninsured and underinsured Vermonters, increasing the rates paid to providers by public health insurance programs, and assisting enrollment in Employer-Sponsored Insurance (ESI) programs will reduce the amount of uncompensated care provided by hospitals and health care practitioners, which in turn will reduce increases in health care premiums paid by those with health insurance.

In addition, the Blueprint for Health and multiple other efforts related to prevention and chronic care are built on the premise that preventing disease and improving the quality of care for people with chronic illness are effective ways to reduce overall health care costs throughout the system. Improved quality of care and cost savings also are anticipated from implementation of many other initiatives, including the provision of transparent price and quality information, the adverse events system, and SorryWorks!

Vermont's Health Care Reform also contains several initiatives that are specifically targeted to contain costs, including an initiative to decrease the cost shift and to simplify health care administration. Predictable health care financing is also included to make the reform changes sustainable over time.