The State of Vermont
released the rates for the federally-mandated Health Benefits Exchange, Vermont
Health Connect, today. A press release
says the plans were structured by levels set by the federal health care law
which includes platinum, gold, silver and catastrophic plans. All health plans offered through Vermont
Health Connect will cover visits to the doctor and emergency room,
prescriptions, maternity care, and preventive care like cancer screenings and
immunizations.
Two regular monthly surveys by the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics continue to send mixed signals about Vermont ’s
employment picture. The survey of employers shows a slow but steady rise in the
number of non-farm payroll jobs over the last 12 months. But in the monthly
survey of households, fewer Vermonters say they are employed; working either
for themselves or someone else. In
February, employers added 1,300 jobs, but 1,000 fewer people said they were
working.
The new state budget provides a substantial increase in
money allocated for repairing deteriorating local roads and bridges in the Empire
State Essex
County
Congressman Peter Welch has announced legislation that he
says will make it easier to pay for renewable energy projects in Vermont
and around the country. He says the
proposal would expand a financing tool used by the energy sector called master
limited partnerships to renewable energy projects. Currently, those projects are not eligible
for that business structure, which is taxed as a partnership but is traded like
a corporate stock.
Fletcher Allen Health Care is looking to expand. The hospital is looking to replace aging
buildings on its campus with a new in-patient facility with private rooms. The plan also calls for a new maternity ward
and a research center. Hospital
officials say the plan is in the earliest stages, but initial estimates put the
price tag at about $120 million. The
last major expansion at Fletcher Allen was the addition of an ambulatory care
center and a parking garage that opened in 2005.
