Vermont
Sen. Sanders raises alarm on cost of health care in Vermont and nationwide – VTDigger
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., joined a group of state legislators, health care officials and advocates in Burlington Monday morning to raise the alarm on what they called Vermont’s health care affordability crisis.
“Everyone knows that our health care system, nationally and in the state of Vermont, is broken. It is dysfunctional, and it is wildly expensive,” Sanders said.
The press conference at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport was set against the backdrop of Congress’s attempts to push through a mega spending bill that is expected to include work requirements for Medicaid recipients and limit the extent to which state governments can use health care provider taxes to cover their portion of Medicaid funding.
Back at home, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont sits in financial jeopardy, having lost $152 million over the past three years. The nonprofit insurer has asked the Green Mountain Care Board to approve double-digit percentage increases to the premiums of plans sold in 2026 on the Vermont Health Connect — the state-run federal Affordable Care Act marketplace.
“I’m not sure how anybody is going to be able to afford that,” Sanders said.
While he did not touch on the specifics of how the state or federal governments can support the state’s only Vermont-based health insurer and protect it from insolvency, Sanders outlined areas where he thinks further investment can lead to lower health care costs for Vermont in the long term. Those included expansions of primary health care facilities and of nursing education programs that allow the state to rely less on traveling nurses, as well as increased support for home health care and nursing homes. He cited efforts to reduce the cost of prescription drugs as a key area that can lower costs for hospitals, and thus, reduce the costs that get passed onto insurers and individuals.
All of this falls under a need for a broader cultural change, Sanders said, from a health care system that is focused on profit to one that supports health care as a human right.
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“It’s a culture that says (if) we want people to stay in Vermont, we’re going to work day and night to lower the cost of health care, provide health care to all of our people. It’s a different culture,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to radically reorient our priorities.”
Lisa Ventriss, co-chair of the newly formed advocacy group Vermont Health Care 911, put a finer point on it at the press conference: She suggested that shifting spending to patient care, rather than to administration or management, would open up “ample room for savings in Vermont,” while curbing the “gobsmacking” premium rate hikes the state has seen.
Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, and Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex Town, who chair the health care committees in their respective chambers, also touted the bills that lawmakers are trying to pass this session to reduce health care costs in Vermont.
Namely, the legislators highlighted S.162, which seeks to keep hospital charges in line with Medicare reimbursement rates (called “reference pricing”), and H.482, which would give the Green Mountain Care Board the ability to lower reimbursement rates paid to health care providers by an insurer in danger of insolvency.
“We’re saving our Blue Cross and Blue Shield domestic insurer from insolvency. We’re stabilizing access to primary care, family medicine,” Lyons said. “We are now working to allow people to access food, rent and health care without having to make choices for one over the other.”
Still, progress at the state level is quickly dwarfed by the potential threat of federal changes to Medicaid. Most worrisome, Black added in an interview following the press conference, is the threats from President Donald Trump’s administration to undo the so-called 1115 waiver program. That waiver gives states the ability to cover services beyond what federal statute outlines as required coverage under Medicaid. Vermont has become a particular leader on finding innovative ways to use this waiver.
“It’s a huge amount of our Medicaid spending,” Black said.
Sanders said he and Senate Democrats are trying to do “everything that we possibly can, in every possible way, to defeat this awful piece of legislation,” with regard to the spending bill’s impact on Medicaid in Vermont.
He called the congressional bill a “Robin Hood proposal in reverse.”
“You take from the poor and you give to the very rich. This is a disastrous piece of legislation, we’ve got to defeat,” he explained. The real solution, he suggested, is guaranteed health care for all, but for now he lauded the state’s efforts in “trying to begin to address this crisis.”
“What we’re doing today is trying, at least to develop a sense of urgency in the state of Vermont. The status quo cannot continue. It is failing — failing small business. It’s failing patients. It’s failing everyone,” Sanders said.
UVM welcomes Adrian Dubois as new men’s soccer coach
Adrian Dubois answers questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, Dec. 22.
Conference play is in full swing to both Vermont basketball and hockey teams. Vermont basketball and women’s basketball both have a bye on Saturday, Jan. 10, meaning only the hockey teams are in action.
How did those Catamounts men’s and women’s hockey teams fare this weekend? For schedule, scores and stats from all games, read on below:
FRIDAY, JAN. 9
Women’s hockey
Vermont 4, Merrimack 1
V: Oona Havana 2G. Kaylee Lewis 1G. Rose-Marie Brochu 1G. Julia Mesplede 2A. Stella Retrum 1A. Lauren O’Hara 1A. Brooke George 1A. Ashley Kokavec 1A. Zoe Cliche 19 saves.
M: Emma Pfeffer 1G. Stina Sandberg 1A. Avery Anderson 1A. Lauren Lyons 39 saves.
Note: The women’s hockey team has won three straight games securing its largest win streak of the season.
Men’s hockey
Vermont 3, Northeastern 2
V: Sebastian Tornqvist 1G, 2A. Jens Richards 1G. Massimo Lombardi 1G. Colin Kessler 1A. Aiden Wright 1A. Jack Malinski 1A. Cedrick Guindon 1A. Aiden Wright 20 saves.
N: Joe Connor 1G. Amine Hajibi 1G. Jack Henry 1A. Tyler Fukakusa 1A. Dylan Hryckowian 1A. Dylan Finlay 1A. Lawton Zacher 21 saves.
Note: The men’s hockey team has won two straight games for the first time since winning its first two games of the season (Oct. 4-10).
SATURDAY, JAN. 10
Women’s hockey
Vermont at Merrimack, 2 p.m.
Men’s hockey
Northeastern at Vermont, 7 p.m.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
Vermont
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital reaches settlement with US Justice Department over ADA compliance
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the hospital violated the Americans with Disabilities Act during patient visits dating back to at least 2018.
The U.S. attorney for the District of Vermont received a complaint from a patient who said Brattleboro Memorial failed to provide qualified sign language interpreters and appropriate auxiliary aids and services during visits to the emergency department.
After an investigation, the U.S. attorney’s office said it discovered other patients, whose primary means of communication is American Sign Language, who did not receive adequate services from the hospital.
Under terms of the agreement, the hospital says it will provide qualified interpreters, create a new grievance procedure, provide training to its staff personnel on effective communication, and designate a program administrator who will coordinate 24/7 access to auxiliary aids and services.
“BMH believes the agreement represents a positive step forward and aligns with the Hospital’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and high-quality care for all patients,” hospital spokesperson Gina Pattison wrote in a prepared statement. “The agreement reflects improvements BMH has implemented over the past several years to better serve patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.”
Pattison wrote that the hospital worked cooperatively with the Department of Justice throughout the investigation, and that over the past few years a series of new steps have been taken to better serve the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Since 2023, Brattleboro Memorial has been working with the group Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services to update policies, procedures, staff education and clinical practices, according to Pattison.
Pattison said the hospital now has an on-call, in-person interpreter program along with access to video remote interpreting services.
The settlement agreement also requires the hospital to establish a fund to compensate people who have been affected by the failure to provide appropriate communication services from 2018 through 2025.
“For the average person, going to the ER during a medical emergency is scary. Deaf individuals have the added stress and worry that they will not be able to communicate their symptoms, understand the doctor’s questions, or give consent because they do not have effective communication,” Deaf Vermonters Advocacy Services Director Rebecca Lalanne wrote in an email. “It is everyone’s hope that this agreement will change that experience and that BMH will assess and accommodate in accordance with the law.”
The U.S. attorney’s office will not pursue further legal action, according to the agreement.
Any person who visited the hospital and failed to receive appropriate services can contact the U.S. attorney’s office to fill out a civil rights complaint form.
“It is well settled under the ADA that patients have the right to effective communication in hospitals and doctors’ offices,” the Department of Justice press release said. “BMH has already taken steps to comply with its obligations under the ADA. And with the resolution agreement, BMH will timely provide qualified interpreters when necessary to ensure effective communication with patients and companions.”
UVM welcomes Adrian Dubois as new men’s soccer coach
Adrian Dubois answers questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, Dec. 22.
Momo Nkugwa’s two free throws and TJ Hurley’s defensive block in the final 18 seconds of regulation allowed Vermont basketball to squeeze past Binghamton for a 60-59 America East Conference victory in front of 1,874 at Patrick Gym on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Nkugwa, a freshman, sank both attempts at the line with 18 seconds to play for a 60-59 advantage, and Hurley followed with a block in the paint to deny Binghamton’s Jeremiah Quigley’s layup attempt.
Despite Vermont’s second straight win to open conference play, coach John Becker said his team was fortunate to take the victory against a Binghamton ranked 362 out of 364 Division I teams in kenpom rating.
“Great to win a game you shouldn’t win. I thought Binghamton deserved to win the game with how we played,” Becker said.
Gus Yalden, who was limited with a calf injury, led Vermont (10-7, 2-0) with 15 points and five rebounds in 19-plus minutes. Sean Blake added nine points, while Nkugwa and Ben Michaels chipped in eight points apiece.
For Binghamton (4-13, 0-2), Quigley collected 21 points and 10 boards and Wes Peterson dropped 11 points. The visiting Bearcats owned a 36-31 margin at the break and led for the majority of the game, but shot just 26.9% from the floor in the second half.
“Obviously, not our best game. But a win is a win,” Hurley said. “Every game matters whether you win by one point or you win by 20. We are happy with the win, but we know we have to get better from this as well.”
Who’s next for Vermont basketball?
The Catamounts play host to Maine at Patrick Gym on Thursday, Jan. 15. It will be a rematch of last year’s America East semifinals, which Maine won to end Vermont’s three-year championship reign.
UVM women’s basketball falls at Binghamton
Yanniah Boyd’s layup with 8 seconds to play broke a tie and gave host Binghamton a 69-67 win over Vermont women’s basketball in an America East contest on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Binghamton (10-5, 2-0) rallied for the win with a 24-13 edge in the fourth quarter. The hosts also benefited from 21-for-25 effort at the foul line to Vermont’s 4-for-7 performance.
Bella Pucci’s 20 points and Boyd’s 16 paced the Bearcats.
For Vermont (13-5, 2-1), Malia Lenz recorded 21 points and nine rebounds, Nikola Priede tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Keira Hanson added 11 points and Emma Haan tossed in seven.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
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