MONTPELIER, Vt.—Vermont's Catamount health insurance program needs a financial boost due to a smaller-than-expected federal allocation and limits on rate increases.
The Times Argus in Barre says Sunday that the nearly 4-year-old program needs about $3.8 million from the state's General Fund to stay afloat this fiscal year. The goal of having 96 percent of Vermonters insured by the end of 2010 appears unlikely to be met. About 7.6 percent lack health insurance now.
Also, one of the two private insurers offering Catamount insurance requested a 26 percent rate increase earlier this year on top of an 11 percent increase approved last year. But state regulators plan to limit the new rate increase to 15 percent.
Catamount health also faces financial challenges arising from the federal health care overhaul.
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Information from: The Times Argus, http://www.timesargus.com/
