Governor Howard Dean praised her as "the driving force" behind his administration's welfare reforms and described her as "the architect of our universal healthcare program," referring to Dr. Dynasaur, Vermont's publicly funded health insurance program for children that was established in 1989. Kitchel later proposed expanding Dr. Dynasaur coverage to children in families making up to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which was achieved in October 1998.
Governor Howard Dean praised her as "the driving force" behind his administration's welfare reforms and referred to her as "the architect" of their universal healthcare program. Kitchel proposed extending Dr. Dynasaur coverage to children from families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which was implemented in October 1998.