Vermont selected to take part in federal health care reform model
VTDigger
Federal officials have selected Vermont as one of three states to participate in the AHEAD program, a new health care reform initiative, the state announced Tuesday.
It’s not exactly clear what the initiative would entail for Vermont, as the state and federal government have yet to settle on the specifics of a program.
But AHEAD — which stands for States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development — is intended to cut health care expenditures, increase investments in primary health care and shift how hospitals are reimbursed for care they provide.
Jenney Samuelson, the secretary of Vermont’s Agency of Human Services, welcomed the development in a press release Tuesday. The decision to select Vermont was an endorsement of “our efforts to advance new flexible payment and care delivery approaches that result in more affordable, accessible and high-quality care for Vermonters, hospitals, and primary care providers selection,” Samuelson said.
The federal government also selected Connecticut and Maryland to join the model. Participating states are eligible for up to $12 million in federal funding to implement the program.