As states open insurance marketplaces amid uncertainty about whether they're a solution for health care, Vermont is eyeing a bigger goal, one that more fully embraces a government-funded model. Two years ago, the state passed a law to launch the nation's first universal health care system. Highlights of the plan: Beginning in 2017, the state will offer a set package of coverage benefits to every Vermont resident under the program, called Green Mountain Care. - A five-member board created under the law has already launched four pilot projects designed to bring down health care costs.
