MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A new analysis from Vermont's Green Mountain Care Board says health care costs in Vermont grew slowly in 2011, climbing by just 1.5 percent.
That's down from average annual growth of 4.7 percent from 2006 to 2010.
Board Chairwoman Anya Rader Wallack says it's too early to declare victory over rising health costs, with the pace of cost growth expected to pick up in the coming few years.
Meanwhile, a second report from the board, on cost-shifting from government-backed insurance programs to private insurance, says that continues to be a big problem.
The board is expecting private payers, including uninsured state residents, to absorb about 80 percent of the additional $142 million in spending budgeted for fiscal year 2013, which started Oct. 1, 2012, officials said.
