In his budget address at the start of the session, Gov. Peter Shumlin proposed a small payroll tax to provide new revenue that would be used to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates that are paid to health care providers.
The governor says the goal is to lower the so-called “cost-shift” that takes place when the government under-funds the Medicaid program and the remaining costs are then shifted to private health insurance premiums.
So how is this plan being received at the Statehouse?
Neal Goswami, bureau chief at the Vermont Press Bureau, joined VPR to answer this question and talk about other recent happenings at the Statehouse.