MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board has approved a $620 million budget for OneCare Vermont.
The budget approved Thursday marks the beginning of a five-year experiment to transform health care in the state. The Burlington Free Press reports the new plan to lower the overall cost of health care will have doctors paid whether their patients are sick or not.
Board Chair Kevin Mullin says Vermont is leading the nation in the vote, which marks a move away from a traditional fee-for-service model. Under the current system, health care providers are paid for each patient visit and procedure.
The OneCare system will pay primary care providers fixed monthly payments.
Starting in January, 122,000 people, or about one in every five Vermonters, will come under the OneCare system.
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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com
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