In a bold move, Vermont's largest health insurer, BlueCross BlueShield, has launched a new public awareness campaign, urging clients to seek more affordable care outside of the state's largest hospital. The campaign, VT Affordable Care, offers a simple cost comparison for common medical procedures in different settings across Vermont. For instance, an MRI at UVM Medical Center in Burlington costs the insurer $6,520, while Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans charges just $2,785. At an independent facility, the same service would be $1,799. A laboratory test at UVM costs almost $100 more than it would from an independent facility, where a test could be just $18. By highlighting these wide price gaps, BlueCross BlueShield is urging Vermonters to consider patient choice as a key lever in keeping costs low. This effort is part of a larger push by the insurer to bring more attention to the roots of the state's healthcare affordability challenge. The insurer has faced solvency risks as the cost of claims has soared beyond the revenue it brings in through premiums. Vermonters spend a higher percentage of income on health insurance than any residents of any other state, according to a report published this summer. BlueCross wants people to better understand the cost of these premiums and is asking for Vermonters' help in keeping them down. However, this initiative has sparked controversy, with some questioning the insurer's motives and the effectiveness of the campaign. The state's largest hospital and the state's largest insurer have had a long-standing adversarial relationship, and the hospital network has denied allegations that it threatened to drop BlueCross patients. Despite this, the insurer insists that truly pulling costs down will be a collective effort, requiring action from within the health system, legislators, and consumers.
