Shumlin optimistic of federal deal for health payment overhaul

Gov. Peter Shumlin said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that his administration will make a deal with the federal government to set up an all-payer model for health care.

Shumlin said at a news conference Thursday that he expects to have a decision on the deal “in the next couple of weeks.”

He met with Sylvia Burwell, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Shaun Donovan, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“Really at this point, after two years of negotiations, what I said was pretty simple,” Shumlin said Thursday. “We either need to come to an agreement or stop working so hard because both President Obama and my terms are ending. The message was well-received.”

Read more: http://vtdigger.org/2016/09/15/shumlin-optimistic-federal-deal-health-payment-overhaul/