Early Results from Vermont's All-Payer Model

Recently, I was honored to sit on a panel with other health care leaders to discuss early successes with Vermont’s all-payer model. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a national health care reform expert currently teaching and practicing at Johns Hopkins University, moderated the panel and put Vermont’s experience in a national context. (Watch excerpts from my remarks or a highlights video from the panel.)

Sharfstein reported results from a recent independent evaluation of Vermont’s performance with OneCare, our state’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Vermont showed reduced hospitalizations among OneCare-attributed Vermonters. Vermont showed reduced hospitalizations among OneCare-attributed Vermonters. Moreover, among the three states studied through the evaluation, only Vermont showed a reduction in costs. He emphasized the importance of the inclusion of Medicare in Vermont’s model. Medicare beneficiaries make up a substantial proportion of patients for all providers. Without Medicare, it’s hard for health care reform to succeed.