The title of a recently released Yahoo! article is: "Vt. health reform: manage chronically ill patients". This is ABSOLUTELY necessary and essential because these are the people who need the most help.

So what's the innovative approach? "The pilot program begun in 2003 aims to reach patients with chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's Disease, etc.) AND KEEP THEM HEALTHIER and ultimately, save money BY HEADING OFF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND PROCEDURES. Already, emergency room visits are down". This is how it should be done. We don't keep ourselves healthy by refusing health care and then going to the emergency room when something serious happens and hope for a miracle (i.e. that the doctors in the ER can save us) because there's a good chance that THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO in a critical/life-threatening situation.

"It's health care at its most basic, BUT IN SOME WAYS, IT'S REVOLUTIONARY. In a system where private insurers and the government reimburse providers for treating sick patients, the physicians who treat the two diabetes will get more IF THEY (i.e. those 2 diabetes patients) STAY HEALTHY". This is how it should be: reward for GOOD performance. This is important because "Almost 85 percent of Vermonters ages 65 and over have one chronic condition - such as diabetes, asthma or cardiovascular disease -AND MANY HAVE MORE THAN ONE". This situation is true in a lot of other states too (OK, although the rate in all these other places may not be 85% like in Vermont), but again, this reinforces how important THE PUBLIC OPTION is.

The next step, again, is to find out what people are saying. According to Peter Benoit, a 62-year-old diabetic who attended his first diabetes class at his doctor's office in South Burlington, "THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT I LEARNED HERE THAN I DID WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL". Of course, because hospitals are supposed to provide care and get patients well again, not necessarily to inform patients. "IN THIS SETTING, YOU UNDERSTAND MORE OF WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO (in order) TO GET YOURSELF UNDER CONTROL", which is important, because, right now, there is no cure for diabetes. So IT SEEMS LIKE Benoit is happy.

According to Dr. Jennifer Gilwee, an internal medicine specialist at Aesculapius, "I THINK I AM A BETTER DOCTOR because of this and I AM A MORE SATISFIED DOCTOR because of this. This is (still) in its infancy", implying that this policy COULD BE implemented in many other places. "IT HAS REAL POTENTIAL TO REALLY IMPACT the demands on a primary care practice". So Dr. Gilwee SEEMS TO BE enthusiastic.

According to Enrique Martinez-Vidal, vice president of Academy, a company aiming to improve health care across the country, "THIS IS THE MODEL for a delivery system redesign THAT HAS GREAT POTENTIAL for cost savings as well as the improvement of the health OF THE POPULATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY". In other words, Martinez-Vidal is arguing that the program in Vermont should be expanded. So, we have another ally in the private industry for universal health care/health care reform.

According to Randy Messier, a manager at Fletcher Allen Blueprint, "WE ARE STARTING TO SEE reductions in ER visits". This is a cautiously optimistic statement. "We're doing follow-up phone calls for people discharged and WE'RE ACTUALLY FINDING (that) WE ARE DEFERRING SOME ADMISSIONS", which, again, is good. Who wants to be in a hospital, never mind the emergency room? There's another advocate for the program in Vermont to be expanded and for universal health care/health care reform.

According to Dr. Craig James, Vermont's Blueprint director, "WHATEVER LEVEL YOU'RE AT (financially), you get good, high-quality care" which, again, is good. This reinforces the president's belief that we shouldn't be denied THE RIGHT to see a good doctor or a specialist just because of our financial standing/status.

Finally, according to Kevin Goddard, a spokesman for Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Vermont, "The blueprint is an important tool, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS that's in play right now for REDUCING COSTS", a GOP obsession. "The financing makes sense to us, to go away from paying providers FOR EVERY EPISODE OF CARE AND PAYING FOR THE TOTALITY OF CARE". OK, if Goddard ever became or is considering becoming a contestant on "The Price is Right", he would be an excellent candidate/contestant for a game called "That's too much" in which contestants try to win a new car.

So, it looks like support for health care reform/universal health coverage is pretty strong in Vermont. Having a powerful senate leader in Patrick Leahy also helps the cause tremendously. Now, if only more people on main street and more senators on Capitol Hill would come on board...