Roll Call! House Passes Health Insurance Mandate (92-44), 2019

H. 524- AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE AND THE INDIVIDUAL MANDAT E

PASSED

in the State House of Representatives
on March 29, 2019, by a vote of
92-44

Purpose: To move Vermont closer toward universal and affordable healthcare coverage. The bill would create a database of state income tax filers who do not have health insurance, and commission bureaucrats to encourage these Vermonters to purchase insurance. It strengthens pre-existing condition protections from Obamacare, and tasks the Agency of Human Services with discovering ways to make Vermont healthcare more affordable and accessible.
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Analysis: Those voting YES believe that the only way to provide affordable healthcare to all Vermonters is to promote a state-run exchange system over private healthcare. To fulfill this objective, the state should coax Vermonters away from healthcare alternatives and toward the “exchange.” The 500 individuals on health sharing plans and thousands without insurance deserve a “soft push” toward joining the exchange for the common good. Others (like those with association health plans) deserve a “hard shove,” so they don’t purchase insurance outside control of the state.
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Those voting NO believe that kicking 5000 Vermonters off of their association health plans is bad policy. They may also believe that this opens the door for future penalties against poor Vermonters without health insurance in future sessions. They note that the only reason committee members chose to remove the insurance penalty was due to administrative cost uncertainty. The only way that Vermonters can achieve long-term savings is through competition in the healthcare marketplace. This bill would move us further away from that prerogative.
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As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday, March 29, 2019: “Pending the question, Shall the bill pass? Rep. McCoy of Poultney demanded the Yeas and Nays, which demand was sustained by the Constitutional number. The Clerk proceeded to call the roll and the question, Shall the bill pass? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 92. Nays, 44.” (Read the Journal, p. 719-721.)
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Related: House Rejects Amendment Permitting Association Health Insurance (50-87)

How They Voted

(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)

Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
Robert Bancroft(R – Westford) – NO
John Bartholomew(D – Hartland) – YES
Lynn Batchelor(R – Derby) – NO
Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – NO
Scott Beck(R – St. Johnsbury) –NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES
Thomas Bock(D – Chester) – YES
Patrick Brennan(R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin(D – Thetford) – YES
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES
Cynthia Browning(D – Arlington) – YES
Jessica Brumsted(D – Shelburne) – YES
Thomas Burditt(R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke(P – Brattleboro) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES
William Canfield(R – Fair Haven) – NO
James Carroll (D – Bennington) – YES
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES
Robin Chesnut-Tangerman(P – Middletown Springs) – YES
Annmarie Christensen(D – Weathersfield) – YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie(D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina(P – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES
Selene Colburn(P – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES
Charles Conquest(D – Newbury) – YES
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas(D – Bradford) – YES
Timothy Corcoran(D – Bennington) – YES
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – ABSENT
Lawrence Cupoli(R – Rutland) – NO
Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – YES
Eileen Dickinson(R – St. Albans) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES
Johannah Donovan(D – Burlington) – YES
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES
Alice Emmons(D – Springfield) – YES
Peter Fagan(R – Rutland) – NO
Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – YES
Martha Feltus(R – Lyndon) – NO
Robert Forguites(D – Springfield) – ABSENT
Marianna Gamache(R – Swanton) – NO
John Gannon(D – Wilmington) – YES
Marcia Gardner(D – Richmond) – ABSENT
Dylan Giambatista(D – Essex) – YES
Diana Gonzalez(P – Winooski) – ABSENT
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO
Maxine Grad(D – Moretown) – ABSENT
Rodney Graham(R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – ABSENT
Sandy Haas(P – Rochester) – YES
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO
James Harrison(R – Chittenden) – NO
Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley(R – Lowell) – NO
Matthew Hill(D – Wolcott) – YES
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Philip Hooper(D – Randolph) – YES
Mary Hooper(D – Montpelier) – ABSENT
Lori Houghton(D – Essex) – YES
Mary Howard(D – Rutland) – ABSENT
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – ABSENT
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES
Kimberly Jessup(D – Middlesex) – YES
Benjamin Jickling(I – Randolph) – YES
Mitzi Johnson(D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Charles Kimbell(D – Woodstock) – NO
Warren Kitzmiller(D – Montpelier) – YES
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES

Jill Krowinski(D – Burlington) – YES

Robert LaClair(R – Barre) – NO
Martin LaLonde(D – S. Burlington) – YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES
Paul Lefebvre(R – Newark) – NO
Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO
William Lippert(D – Hinesburg) – ABSENT
Emily Long(D – Newfane) – YES
Terence Macaig(D – Williston) – YES
Michael Marcotte(R – Coventry) – NO
Marcia Martel(R – Waterford) – NO
James Masland(D – Thetford) – YES
Christopher Mattos(R – Milton) – ABSENT
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES
Curtis McCormack(D – Burlington) – YES
Patricia McCoy(R – Poultney) – NO
James McCullough(D – Williston) – YES
Francis McFaun(R – Barre) – NO
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO
Mary Morrissey(R – Bennington) – NO
Michael Mrowicki(D – Putney) – YES
Barbara Murphy(I – Fairfax) – YES
Linda Myers(R – Essex) – NO
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Terry Norris(I – Shoreham) – NO
William Notte (D – Rutland) – NO
Daniel Noyes(D – Wolcott) – YES
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES
Jean O’Sullivan(D – Burlington) – YES
Woodman Page (R – Newport) – NO
Kelly Pajala(I – Londonderry) – YES
John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO
Carolyn Partridge(D – Windham) – YES
Avram Patt(D – Worcester) – YES
David Potter(D – Clarendon) – YES
Ann Pugh(D – S. Burlington) – YES
Constance Quimby(R – Concord) – NO
Barbara Rachelson(D – Burlington) – ABSENT
Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – YES
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES
Carl Rosenquist(R – Georgia) – NO
Brian Savage(R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu(D – Middlebury) – YES
Heidi Scheuermann(R – Stowe) – NO
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO
Charles “Butch” Shaw(R – Pittsford) – NO
Amy Sheldon(D – Middlebury) – YES
Laura Sibilia(I – Dover) – YES
Brian Smith(R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith(R – New Haven) – NO
Trevor Squirrell(D – Underhill) – YES
Thomas Stevens(D – Waterbury) – YES
Vicki Strong(R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan(D – Burlington) – YES
Mary Sullivan(D – Dorset) – YES
Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor(D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini(R – Rutland) – NO
George Till(D – Jericho) – YES
Tristan Toleno(D – Brattleboro) – YES
Catherine Toll(D – Danville) – YES
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend(D – South) – YES
Matthew Trieber(D – Rockingham) – ABSENT
Joseph “Chip” Troiano(D – Stannard) – YES
Tommy Walz(D – Barre) – YES
Kathryn Webb(D – Shelburne) – YES
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES
Theresa Wood(D – Waterbury) – YES
David Yacovone(D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka(D – Charlotte) – YES
Samuel Young(D – Greensboro) - YES