Vermont's Approach to Primary Care Is Driving Down Costs
Governing
Nearly 3 in 10 Americans lack access to primary medical care, which is essential to detecting chronic health problems in early, treatable stages, if not preventing them altogether. Caring for the millions who have chronic diseases already accounts for 90 percent of the nation's $4 trillion in annual health-care costs. Dramatic increases that lie ahead in the population past the age of 50 will bring new demands.
Since 2008, Vermont has been working on an approach to primary care that has unique elements, not the least of which is consistent support from state leadership and the legislative branch. Vermont’s Blueprint for Health model begins with an expanded concept of what “primary care” encompasses, one that in some ways anticipated recent calls to transform the field.
According to the Blueprint’s most recent report, which was presented to the Legislature in January, medical and pharmacy claims are 30 percent lower for individuals receiving care through its primary-care practices than for those treated elsewhere.