Lawrence Miller, the chief of health care reform for Gov. Peter Shumlin, blew up at lawmakers on Wednesday in the last hearing of the legislative session regarding the status of Vermont Health Connect.
When Rep. Doug Gage, R-Rutland City, asked Miller about an article published Sunday by VTDigger, Miller snapped back. “Do you mind if I complete this and then go into the opinion piece?” he asked.
That exchange happens around the 5-second mark of the embedded audio. At 15:18 on the audio, Miller then makes comments about VTDigger’s Sunday article, and lawmakers on the committee all remained silent. Miller continued, becoming more angry as he spoke.
At 20:36, Miller said the “original piece” contained a reference to a potential sole-source contract with Speridian Technologies, Inc. He expressed dismay that VTDigger had not changed the article since it was published.
At 27:58, Gage asked how much the state had paid OptumInsight, Inc. for its work because knowing how much the state has withheld from the company would be “a good determination” of the state’s confidence in the company’s performance.
Miller never answered the question. At 31:16, he snapped at Gage for saying he implied that “I don’t know what the hell is going on.” The situation escalated from there, and lawmakers were largely silent.
Vermonters for Health Care Freedom has requested Optum payment information from the Department of Vermont Health Access. State officials are seeking $329 for the request.
