Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The so-called All-Payer Accountable Care Organization Model would reimburse participating providers for health outcomes, rather than for every procedure they perform. Advocates argue that it would slow rising health care costs and improve patient care.
Gov. Peter Shumlin's administration spent years working with Vermont's medical community and negotiating with the federal government to obtain an all-payer waiver. In September, Shumlin reached a verbal agreement with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell to more forward with it.
The GMCB, which regulates the state's health care system, held several public meetings in recent weeks to discuss the draft agreement. Wednesday's vote empowers the board's chair, Al Gobeille, to sign off on the plan. The other required signatories are Shumlin and Burwell.
Tags: All-payer waiver , Green Mountain Care Board , Al Gobeille , Peter Shumlin , Image , Web Only
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has purchased $10,500 worth of air time to run the ad, according to a disclosure filed Tuesday with the Secretary of State's Office.
Tags: Sue Minter , Barack Obama , Audio , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
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The Burlington Free Press on Tuesday laid off four employees — including three newsroom staffers — in what appears to be part of nationwide downsizing by its corporate parent, Gannett.
Among those let go were features writer Sally Pollak, news reporter Cory Dawson and sports writer Lauren Read, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation. Hours after the news broke Tuesday, the paper acknowledged the layoffs in a story on its website. In addition to the newsroom staffers, it said an employee in the advertising department was cut.
Pollak worked for the Free Press for 25 years, first as a sports writer and most recently as a food writer. She lamented the news on Facebook Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a good run: 25 years covering Vermont,” Pollak wrote. “Thanks to everyone for talking with me for stories and reading my stuff.”
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The five high school students were killed by a wrong-way driver on their way home from a concert on October 8.
The Harwood Union High School gymnasium was packed Monday night for an event held to honor the teens. Their classmates filled the wooden bleachers, using one another as back rests, and an older crowd occupied the hundreds of folding chairs that had been set up on the gym floor. The stage was a shrine to the students, with poster-size photos and five wooden stars wrapped in strings of lights, propped up by hay bales and potted flowers.
Organized by the Harwood Union junior class, the “celebration of life” included a bagpipe processional, fireworks that would rival a July 4th celebration, and a soulful performance by 2001 Harwood alumnus Grace Potter, who sang her song “Stars.”
Tags: Harwood Union High School , Liam Hale , Mary Harris , Cyrus Zschau , Janie Chase Cozzi , Eli Brookens , Image , Web Only
"I spoke poorly and I do apologize for that," he said at a Burlington debate hosted by My NBC5.
Zuckerman was responding to a May 2013 video posted to Facebook on Sunday by Nicole Citro, a Republican activist who has led the public push to base F-35 jets at the Air Guard's South Burlington headquarters. The video shows Zuckerman speaking out against the basing, which has since been approved, during a protest on the steps of Burlington City Hall.
"Some of the people that support F-35s say, 'This is about our safety and our freedom. Look at what they did on 9/11,'" Zuckerman says in the 27-second video. "When I look at what our planes did on 9/11 — they flew over a site that was already devastated by a terrorist action. I don't believe they stopped a single thing from happening. So let's not equate their existence with freedom when they're after the fact—"
According to news stories and the Air Guard's own account, Vermont's F-16s were among the first on the scene after terrorists flew two airliners into New York City's World Trade Center. They patrolled the city's airspace for 122 consecutive days after the attacks, according to a Guard history.
Tags: David Zuckerman , Randy Brock , Vermont Air National Guard , 9/11 , Image , Web Only
Monday, October 24, 2016
Conducted by Braun Research of Princeton, N.J., the live-caller poll surveyed 603 likely voters, using a mix of landlines and cell phones. Its margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent, meaning the race could be essentially tied — or Scott could have an even wider lead.
According to WCAX, 4 percent of respondents supported Liberty Union nominee and retired Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee, while 2 percent planned to write in another candidate. Seven percent said they remained undecided.
That's a significantly smaller percentage than Castleton Polling Institute found in a recent survey it conducted for Vermont Public Radio. In that poll, 14 percent said they were undecided. Thirty-nine percent told VPR they supported Scott, 38 percent Minter and 2 percent Lee. That poll's margin of error was 3.9 percent.
Tags: Sue Minter , Phil Scott , WCAX , polling , VPR , Image , Web Only
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spent the weekend stumping for Vermont's Democratic slate. Now he's putting his fundraising might behind two of its top candidates.
In a message sent Monday afternoon to his national email list, Sanders called on his loyal base of donors to contribute to Democratic gubernatorial nominee Sue Minter and Democratic/Progressive lieutenant gubernatorial nominee David Zuckerman. The email encourages Sanders' supporters to split their donations evenly between Minter, Zuckerman and three out-of-state candidates and causes: California State Senate candidate Jane Kim, California State Assembly candidate Eloise Reyes and California's Proposition 61, a ballot initiative designed to lower the price of prescription drugs.
By 8:30 p.m. Monday — six hours after Sanders sent the email — Zuckerman had already raised roughly $20,000 from 2,800 donors, he told Seven Days. Minter's campaign declined to comment on its haul but issued a statement thanking Sanders for his support.
"We're excited to have Bernie Sanders highlighting Sue as a candidate who shares his values, who will strengthen the middle-class and truly tackle Vermont's affordability issues, rather than simply rehashing trickle-down economics and the national Republican line," said Minter spokesman Elliott Bent.*
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The ACLU, in an amicus brief, said William D. Schenk should not be prosecuted because "the government seeks to punish Schenk based solely on the content of his speech."
Schenk, 22, pleaded no contest in April to two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct on the condition that he could appeal a judge's decision to not dismiss the charges. A hearing at the Vermont Supreme Court has not been scheduled.
Tags: William Schenk , KKK , ACLU , Vermont Supreme Court , hate groups , free speech , Image , Web Only
Friday, October 21, 2016
He was greeted by a call from the crowd: “We love you, Bernie!” He drew standing ovations. He was swarmed by selfie-seekers afterward.
But the goal of Friday’s rally was to use Sanders’ star power — amplified through a strong but unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination — to direct the crowd’s attention to the rest of the state’s Democratic candidates.
Most of that attention was focused on Sue Minter, the party’s candidate for governor, who is locked in a close race with Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott for the open seat.
Organizers had affixed her campaign placard to the podium. One by one, with Sanders serving as master of ceremonies, Vermont Democrats took the stage at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Alumni Hall to deliver to the crowd of about 500 the same message:
“We’ve got to elect Sue Minter,” Democratic Treasurer Beth Pearce said.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Sue Minter , Patrick Leahy , David Zuckerman , T.J. Donovan , Phil Scott , Image , Web Only