OneCare's $900 million budget spurs criticism

[George II]

OneCare’s $900 million budget spurs criticism

With state regulators set to vote on OneCare Vermont’s $903 million budget in less than a week, critics are stepping forward to slam the performance and transparency of the Colchester-based accountable care organization.

Detractors charge that OneCare – which is coordinating the state’s “all-payer” attempt at health care payment reform – is using public money to set up a new layer of bureaucracy that will not lower costs or increase patient access.

“I am deeply troubled by the amount of public money Vermont has spent on the floundering (all-payer) experiment while Vermonters struggle with the costs of paying for basic medical care,” said Deb Richter, a Montpelier-based physician. “This experiment is putting the cart before the horse and should be terminated until we ensure that all Vermonters are covered with comprehensive coverage.”

The Green Mountain Care Board has not taken an official stance on the OneCare budget and is scheduled to vote on the matter Monday. But at a meeting on Wednesday, several board members took exception to criticism of OneCare, the all-payer model and the board’s regulatory practices.

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https://vtdigger.org/2018/12/12/onecares-proposed-900m-budget-spurs-criticism/