Editor’s note: This commentary is by Keith Stern, of North Springfield, who is the owner for 30 years of Stern’s Quality Produce, a retail and wholesale business in White River Junction. He is a candidate for governor in the next Republican primary. He was an independent candidate for U.S. Senate and participated in the Republican primary for U.S. representative.
Let me start with a story about a friend of mine. He went to the Vermont Health Connect website a few years ago and started signing up until he was given a quote of over $200 a month with a $7,000 a year deductible. He ended that at that point. After all, why would healthy people pay $2,400 a year that in all likelihood won’t do them any good for many years? This isn’t an isolated story because I know of two others who were quoted at about $200 a month with approximately $6,000 deductibles.
Well, the law of averages caught up to him this year. He started experiencing extreme stomach pain and nausea until he couldn’t put off seeing a health care provider and went to the ER. They ran tests and gave him a prescription to calm his stomach. He continued to experience the problem and went to his primary care providers who ordered another round of tests and couldn’t find the problem. So he ended up at Dartmouth-Hitchcock where it was discovered he had an infection in his intestines. He was given a prescription for an antibiotic, which seemed to take care of the problem until it flared up again weeks later. I told him he better get back in to see his doctor because an infection is nothing to ignore. He said he couldn’t afford it because he is already facing over $17,000 in medical bills. He said he tried signing up again with Vermont Health Connect but the premium was too high with a large deductible. He said he couldn’t afford the premium while saddled with the medical bills he has accrued. He attempted to set up payments but he said one hospital wasn’t willing to agree to small payments every month.
I am sharing this story to put into perspective how the health care plan I have created would be a major benefit to all of us. First, my plan would lower the cost of health care and, subsequently, insurance premiums. I believe I can achieve a 40 percent reduction in premiums.
Second, for low-income people, the $30 million spent on Vermont Health Connect could instead provide catastrophic coverage so people could buy affordable policies without the unreasonable deductibles. This will result in all people having quality insurance and fewer visits to the ER when problems have become worse.
Third, my plan would reimburse health care providers immediately, so if a patient has a co-pay, he or she would have just one payment and one place to deal with.
My plan would make patients aware consumers, increasing competition among health care providers and insurers, and taken to complete fruition, end up as an efficient single payer system that isn’t government run.
I hope you look at my complete plan at VermontGetsStern.org and as always I welcome feedback.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Keith Stern: A plan for health care for all Vermonters.