Vermont H 433: An act relating to the tax on spirits and fortified wines

Bill Text

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VT LEG #379265 v.1
H.433 1
Introduced by Representatives Cina of Burlington, McFaun of Barre Town, 2
Christie of Hartford, Berbeco of Winooski, Bos-Lun of 3
Westminster, Burke of Brattleboro, Burrows of West Windsor, 4
Campbell of St. Johnsbury, Carris-Duncan of Whitingham, 5
Casey of Montpelier, Cole of Hartford, Cordes of Bristol, 6
Critchlow of Colchester, Duke of Burlington, Headrick of 7
Burlington, Hooper of Randolph, Kleppner of Burlington, 8
Krasnow of South Burlington, LaMont of Morristown, Logan of 9
Burlington, Morris of Springfield, Olson of Starksboro, Pouech 10
of Hinesburg, Priestley of Bradford, Sheldon of Middlebury, 11
Tomlinson of Winooski, and Torre of Moretown 12
Referred to Committee on 13
Date: 14
Subject: Health; health care reform; publicly financed health care; Green 15
Mountain Care 16
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to implement 17
Green Mountain Care, a publicly financed health care program for all Vermont 18
residents, over time, starting with primary care in the first year, adding 19
preventive dental and vision care in the second year, and incorporating 20
additional health care services in later years. It would establish the Universal 21

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Health Care Advisory Group at the Green Mountain Care Board to provide 1
recommendations to the General Assembly regarding the sequencing of and 2
financing for the health care services to be added in the third through 10th 3
years of Green Mountain Care’s implementation. The bill would also express 4
legislative intent regarding funding sources for Green Mountain Care and 5
would prohibit health insurance plans and rates from reflecting duplication of 6
the coverage provided by Green Mountain Care. 7
An act relating to incremental implementation of Green Mountain Care 8
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 9
Sec. 1. PURPOSE 10
The purpose of this act is to initiate the incremental implementation of 11
Green Mountain Care by starting to provide comprehensive, affordable, high-12
quality, publicly financed health care for all Vermonters in accordance with the 13
principles established in 2011 Acts and Resolves No. 48. The act gradually 14
expands the benefits available through Green Mountain Care over 10 years, 15
beginning with publicly financed primary care in the first year, adding 16
preventive dental and vision care in the second year, and adding the remaining 17
health care services according to a schedule recommended by the Green 18
Mountain Care Board’s Universal Health Care Advisory Group. It is the intent 19
of the General Assembly that, by the 10th year, the Green Mountain Care 20

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benefit package should be at least as comprehensive as the benefit package 1
contemplated for the program in 2011 Acts and Resolves No. 48. 2
Sec. 2. 33 V.S.A. chapter 18, subchapter 2 is amended to read: 3
Subchapter 2. Green Mountain Care 4
* * * 5
§ 1822. IMPLEMENTATION; WAIVER 6
(a) Green Mountain Care shall be implemented 90 days following the last 7
to occur of: 8
(1) Receipt receipt of a waiver under Section 1332 of the Affordable 9
Care Act pursuant to subsection (b) of this section.; and 10
(2) Enactment of a law establishing the financing for Green Mountain 11
Care. [Repealed.] 12
(3) Approval by the Green Mountain Care Board of the initial Green 13
Mountain Care benefit package pursuant to 18 V.S.A. § 9375. [Repealed.] 14
(4) Enactment enactment of the appropriations for the initial first year of 15
Green Mountain Care benefit package proposed by the Green Mountain Care 16
Board pursuant to 18 V.S.A. § 9375 based on the first-year benefits set forth in 17
subdivision 1825(a)(1) of this chapter. 18
(5) A determination by the Green Mountain Care Board, as the result of 19
a detailed and transparent analysis, that each of the following conditions will 20
be met: 21

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(A) Each Vermont resident covered by Green Mountain Care will 1
receive benefits with an actuarial value of 80 percent or greater. 2
(B) When implemented, Green Mountain Care will not have a 3
negative aggregate impact on Vermont’s economy. This determination shall 4
include an analysis of the impact of implementation on economic growth. 5
(C) The financing for Green Mountain Care is sustainable. In this 6
analysis, the Board shall consider at least a five-year revenue forecast using the 7
consensus process established in 32 V.S.A. § 305a, projections of federal and 8
other funds available to support Green Mountain Care, and estimated expenses 9
for Green Mountain Care for an equivalent time period. 10
(D) Administrative expenses in Vermont’s health care system for 11
which data are available will be reduced below 2011 levels, adjusted for 12
inflation and other factors as necessary to reflec