Human Rights Assessment of the Hsiao Report on Health Reform in Vermont
The Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign completed a human rights assessment of the healthcare system design proposals Dr. William Hsiao presented to the Vermont legislature in January 2011. The assessment, along with comments submitted to the Hsiao team, focus on the human rights requirements for Vermont’s healthcare system, passed into law by last year’s Act 128.
The assessment finds that the Hsiao proposals have several shortcomings, particularly with regard to the principles of equity and accountability. Overall, the public single payer model with comprehensive benefits received the highest scores in the assessment.
The assessment was prepared using the “Detailed Human Rights Standards for Healthcare Systems, which enable Vermonters and their elected officials to evaluate the three healthcare options proposed by Dr. Hsiao in accordance with the requirements of Vermont’s Universal Access to Health Care law (Act 128). The “Detailed Human Rights Standards for Healthcare Systems” translate the general human rights principles of Act 128 into a set of specific policy questions, to enable logical and consistent evaluation of the “Hsiao” options and any subsequent legislative proposals.
Read an op-ed on the Hsiao report by the Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign here.
Two weeks after the end of the public comment period, the Hsiao team released the final version of the report.
