In Vermont, Where Almost Everyone Has Insurance, Many Can't Find or Afford Care
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/vermont-low-uninsured-rate-high-costs-long-waits/
On a warm autumn morning, Roger Brown walked through a grove of towering trees whose sap fuels his maple syrup business. He was checking for damage after recent flooding. But these days, his workers health worries him more than his trees.
The cost of Slopeside Syrups employee health insurance premiums spiked 24% this year. Next year it will rise 14%.
The jumps mean less money to pay workers, and expensive insurance coverage that doesnt ensure employees can get care, Brown said. Vermont is seen as the most progressive state, so how is health care here so screwed up?
Vermont consistently ranks among the healthiest states, and its unemployment and uninsured rates are among the lowest. Yet Vermonters pay the highest prices nationwide for individual health coverage, and state reports show its providers and insurers are in financial trouble. Nine of the states 14 hospitals are losing money, and the states largest insurer is struggling to remain solvent. Long waits for care have become increasingly common, according to state reports and interviews with residents and industry officials.