Reforming Health Care

State Senator, 2007-present

• Chair, Senate Health and Welfare Committee
• Held Jan. 2010 hearings to move Vermont towards universal health care
• Introduced S.88 to design the system that will actually deliver real health care to Vermonters

Lieutenant Governor, 1997-1998

• Helped pass new protections for health care consumers covered by managed care.

State Senator, 1992

• Led negotiations between the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and Administration officials to find a compromise position on health care reform in Vermont. Doug was then instrumental in moving that health reform through the Senate.
  

  “[C]onducting a series of effective negotiations with the many factions tugging at the bill, Racine guided the plan back into moderation and delivered it to the full Senate on time.”
  -BFP, 4/11/92.

  The bill passing the Senate and eventually signed into law included:

  • implementation of a community rating system, requiring health care companies to treat people equally when setting rates;
  • expanding the number of families eligible for Dr. Dynosaur and increasing the age limit for kids from age six to age 17;
  • creation of the Vermont Health Care Authority staffed with 3 full-time positions for the development of single and multi-payer plans for health insurance and delivery, to be reviewed by the next Legislature;
  • and requiring an appearance before the medical arbitration board for all malpractice cases.

State Senator, 1983

• As member of Heath and Human Services Committee, Doug designed and introduced legislation requiring hospitals to make their budgets public and establishing the Hospital Data Council to review those hospital budgets and establish standards to compare hospital expenditures and services. This was an early effort at controlling health care costs as a first step toward a cap on hospital expenditures.

Read about Doug Racine’s plans for universal health care access »

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