Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0320 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.320
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6	6	H.320 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Labor of Morgan, Demar of Enosburgh, 2
8	8	Galfetti of Barre Town, Higley of Lowell, Maguire of Rutland 3
9	9	City, Morgan, L. of Milton, Morrissey of Bennington, Nelson of 4
10	10	Derby, North of Ferrisburgh, Page of Newport City, Pritchard 5
11	11	of Pawlet, and Tagliavia of Corinth 6
12	12	Referred to Committee on 7
13	13	Date: 8
14	14	Subject: Health; Green Mountain Care Board; hospitals; health insurance; 9
15	15	physicians 10
16	16	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to prohibit the 11
17	17	Green Mountain Care Board from implementing certain recommendations 12
18	18	contained in a consultant’s report on hospital transformation until at least July 13
19	19	1, 2026, while requiring the Board to move ahead with other 14
20	20	recommendations. The bill would direct the Board to collect data directly from 15
21	21	Vermont hospitals in order to establish goals and methodologies for hospital 16
22	22	system transformation that would stabilize small, rural hospitals and preserve 17
23	23	access to hospital services. The bill would require the Department of Vermont 18
24	24	Health Access and Department of Financial Regulation to explore 19
25	25	opportunities to expand the number of health insurers offering plans on the 20
26	26	Vermont Health Benefit Exchange. It would direct the Area Health Education 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.320
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31	31	Centers program to develop a plan for placing medical students, residents, and 1
32	32	fellows in clinical rotations at critical access hospitals and to consider 2
33	33	opportunities for using State scholarship and loan repayment programs to 3
34	34	encourage careers in rural medicine. The bill would also require the Green 4
35	35	Mountain Care Board to develop recommendations for compensating hospitals 5
36	36	for caring for patients who are awaiting transfer to another facility. 6
37	37	An act relating to stabilizing Vermont’s rural hospitals 7
38	38	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 8
39	39	Sec. 1. GREEN MOUNTAIN CARE BOARD; HOSPITAL 9
40	40	TRANSFORMATION; MORATORIUM; REPORT 10
41	41	(a)(1) The Green Mountain Care Board shall not implement or pursue 11
42	42	implementation of any of the following recommendations from the 12
43	43	consultant’s report prepared for the Board pursuant to 2022 Acts and Resolves 13
44	44	No. 167, Sec. 2, prior to July 1, 2026: 14
45	45	(A) permit no further increases in commercial subsidization for 15
46	46	hospital financial shortfalls; 16
47	47	(B) refrain from licensing any further hospital-based outpatient 17
48	48	department units; 18 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.320
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53	53	(C) begin movement to reference-based pricing, ideally at 200 1
54	54	percent of Medicare or less for prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals; 2
55	55	and 3
56	56	(D) require all hospitals to use the same accounting agency and 4
57	57	method to construct hospital financials and budget submissions. 5
58	58	(2) The Green Mountain Care Board shall promptly pursue 6
59	59	implementation of the following recommendations from the same consultant’s 7
60	60	report: 8
61	61	(A) simplify and shorten the certificate of need process; and 9
62	62	(B) encourage freestanding diagnostic, ambulatory surgical, and birth 10
63	63	centers. 11
64	64	(b) The members and staff of the Green Mountain Care Board shall collect 12
65	65	financial and service-level data directly from Vermont hospitals in order to 13
66	66	establish appropriate goals and methodologies for hospital system 14
67	67	transformation that will stabilize small, rural hospitals and preserve access to 15
68	68	hospital services in communities across the State. The Board shall report these 16
69	69	goals and methodologies to the General Assembly on or before March 1, 2026. 17
70	70	Sec. 2. EXPANDED OPTIONS IN HEALTH INSURANCE MARKET; 18
71	71	REPORT 19
72	72	(a) The Department of Vermont Health Access, in collaboration with the 20
73	73	Department of Financial Regulation, shall explore opportunities to expand the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.320
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78	78	number of health insurers that offer qualified health plans to individuals and 1
79	79	small groups on the Vermont Health Benefit Exchange beyond the two health 2
80	80	insurers currently participating. 3
81	81	(b) On or before January 15, 2026, the Department of Vermont Health 4
82	82	Access and the Department of Financial Regulation shall report to the House 5
83	83	Committee on Health Care and the Senate Committees on Health and Welfare 6
84	84	and on Finance its findings and recommendations for expanding the number of 7
85	85	health insurers offering qualified health plans in Vermont. 8
86	86	Sec. 3. AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTERS; MEDICAL 9
87	87	EDUCATION; RURAL HOSPITALS; REPORT 10
88	88	(a) The Area Health Education Centers program (AHEC) shall develop a 11
89	89	plan for placing medical students, residents, and fellows in clinical rotations at 12
90	90	critical access hospitals in Vermont in order to increase the supply of new 13
91	91	physicians interested in pursuing employment in rural hospital settings. AHEC 14
92	92	shall consider opportunities to use new or existing State scholarship and loan 15
93	93	repayment programs to encourage careers in rural medicine. 16
94	94	(b) On or before January 15, 2026, AHEC shall provide its plan and its 17
95	95	recommendations for using State programs to increase Vermont’s rural 18
96	96	medicine workforce. 19
97	97	Sec. 4. HOSPITAL PATIENTS AWAITING TRANSFER; 20
98	98	UNCOMPENSATED CARE; REPORT 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.320
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103	103	The Green Mountain Care Board, in collaboration with the Departments of 1
104	104	Vermont Health Access and of Financial Regulation and in consultation with 2
105	105	representatives of Vermont hospitals, health insurers, and the Office of the 3
106	106	Health Care Advocate, shall develop recommendations for compensating 4
107	107	hospitals for the costs of maintaining patients who are awaiting transfer to 5
108	108	another hospital or other health care facility when the patient must remain at 6
109	109	the sending hospital for more than 24 hours and the hospital is not otherwise 7
110	110	being reimbursed for the care. On or before December 1, 2025, the Board shall 8
111	111	provide its recommendations to the House Committee on Health Care and the 9
112	112	Senate Committees on Health and Welfare and on Finance. 10
113	113	Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 11
114	114	This act shall take effect on passage. 12