Vermont
Vermont health care regulators approve OneCare’s annual budget, likely its last – VTDigger
For likely the last time, state health care regulators at the Green Mountain Care Board on Wednesday approved the annual budget for OneCare Vermont, the accountable care organization that has been the linchpin of Vermont’s “all-payer” health care payment reform efforts since 2018.
OneCare announced in early November that 2025 would be its last year in operation. Dec. 31, 2025, is also the anticipated end date for what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services calls the “Vermont All-Payer ACO Model.”
The care board approved an organizational budget of just under $11.3 million, a reduction of almost $1.5 million from OneCare’s original request, submitted before the nonprofit’s board of managers voted to close its doors.
Regulators directed OneCare — which since October 2021 has been solely a subsidiary of the University of Vermont Health Network — to redistribute the latter amount to independent health care providers that participate in the organization’s “population health management” programs, including primary care offices, home health agencies and area agencies on aging.
Green Mountain Care Board Chair Owen Foster called the approved budget “very fair for OneCare,” given that it was not significantly lower than the organization’s actual spending in 2024.
The reduced budget level-funded salary and benefit expenses from 2024 and eliminated the unfilled position of chief financial officer. Tom Borys, who served in that role, took over as interim chief executive officer after Abe Berman, who served as OneCare’s CEO since May 2023, stepped down earlier this month.
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The care board also cut money that was allocated to pay for an annual outside evaluation no longer being required by the board, and for lobbying and board recruitment.
“It’s obviously a different budget than in prior years with a winddown coming of the operations,” Foster said.
Borys acknowledged that “the paradigm has changed for us” and accepted the rationale for the cuts in public comments to the board on Dec. 4 and written comments on Dec. 12. The organization’s goal for 2025 was to “do our best for the state, the providers, the patients that they serve, and also be mindful of the cost,” he said.
Borys added that OneCare expected to continue its full list of activities through the end of 2025. The plan is to spend the first half of 2026 closing down, with the final steps of the shutdown completed by that October, he said. Care board staff said it was currently unclear whether the regulator would need to approve a partial budget for 2026, assuming the federal “all-payer model” ends when expected at the end of 2025.
The model has been a unique policy framework — and the basis for a legal contract between the federal health insurance agency, Vermont’s Agency of Human Services and the care board — that has allowed Medicare and Medicaid funds to be distributed by an accountable care organization in nontraditional ways.
The new payment methods have included adding bonus payments for providers who meet certain care quality standards and “per patient per month” payments to independent primary care providers. The strategies were intended to bolster preventative care and reduce overall health care spending.
For the duration of the model’s contract, which started in 2018, OneCare has been Vermont’s only “all-payer” accountable care organization — meaning it does business with private providers, Medicaid and Medicare — so it has been the only entity capable of carrying out the terms of the agreement.
In late November, the care board approved the 2025 budgets of Lore Health, Vytalize Health and Aledade Accountable Care as submitted. All three are accountable care organizations operating in Vermont that provide services only to patients insured by Medicare.
On Wednesday, members of the care board also received an update on negotiations with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over Vermont’s participation in a new federal reform model called the AHEAD program, which stands for States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development.
Vermont is one of six states that has been selected to participate. The others are Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii, New York and Rhode Island. A care board vote on whether to move forward with preparations to participate is expected in mid-January.
Care board member Thom Walsh questioned whether President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration would back the federal reform program’s continued rollout. If it did not, he asked, did leaders at the Agency of Human Services have a backup plan for funding programs that health care providers and their patients have come to rely on?
OneCare did successfully defend one part of its 2025 budget: the continuation of its “regional care representative” program, which the care board had put on the chopping block.
The $300,000 pays primary care providers within OneCare’s network to work with peers in their region on how best to make use of the data and reports the ACO provides. The program is needed for the organization to maintain a connection with those offices, which is essential for progress towards shared care quality goals, Borys said.
“I’d like personally to end the all-payer model era on a high note,” he said.
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.
Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
A tornado touched down in Vermont Thursday, when a strong storm system moved through the area, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are believed to have hit 90 mph when the tornado churned through Williamstown at about 9:15 p.m., the agency said Friday. That makes it an EF1 tornado on the Fujita Scale, which goes from 0 at the weakest to 5 at the strongest.
Lasting three minutes, the twister traveled for more than four-tenths of a mile, with a maximum width of 100 yards, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary assessment. It damaged a pair of buildings and numerous trees, shearing tree tops. Golf ball-sized hail was also reported in the area.
Severe thunderstorms popped up across the North Country Thursday night, including in central Vermont — Williamstown is south of Montpelier.
The town thanked its road crew, firefighters and locals who spent hours in the wake of the storm cleaning up.
“We appreciate all that you do to keep the town functioning though an emergency situation,” the town said.
People in the area told NBC affiliate WPTZ that the storm was shockingly powerful, and National Weather Service staffer Marlon Verasamy said that while tornadoes in Vermont are rare, they’re even rarer in this part of the state.
“Generally, when we do see tornadoes around the area that they’ve been in Addison County and not here, so it make it really, really unique to get a tornado in this kind of terrain in this part of the state,” Verasamy said.
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