Vermont health advocates outline help for consumers and outreach plan as Medicare Savings Program expands

Mike Fisher, chief of the Office of the Health Care Advocate, and Emma Chavez, a health policy analyst with the same office, briefed a legislative committee on Jan. 16 on the office’s constituent services and outreach plans as eligibility for the state’s Medicare Savings Program widens.

Fisher said the office is available to any Vermonter who needs help with access to care, billing disputes, enrollment in public programs or other insurance problems: “When somebody is just pulling their hair out and they cannot solve this problem on their own, we are the people who hopefully can cut through the red tape and get a resolution that works for folks.”

The presentation laid out why the work matters and how advocates handle cases. The HCA said its staff of about 15 has assisted more than 70,000 Vermonters since the office was created by the legislature in 1998, and that the team combines a frontline advocacy unit with a policy team that participates in state regulatory proceedings before the Green Mountain Care Board, the Department of Vermont Health Access and the Department of Financial Regulation.

Case examples given to…