Legislative Update 1.31.2022

 

I get it. No one wants to talk about COVID anymore. Let’s put this thing in the rearview mirror and move on with our lives, but a lot of the health care workers I’m talking to are more demoralized than ever as we continue to deal with capacity issues and various shortages from COVID therapeutics to blood. If you encounter someone in the health care field, please give them a kind word.

 

Workforce: The Director of Health Care Reform presented the workforce initiatives from Governor Scott’s FY ’23 budget to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, including:

Rep. Mari Cordes also advocated for additional initiatives to address the nursing shortage, including:

The committee plans on taking additional testimony on health care workforce initiatives.

 

Mental Health: VAHHS testified in support of bills S.194, peer-operated respite centers, S.195, certification of mental health peer support specialists, and S.197, coordinated mental health crisis response working group, in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. VAHHS broadly supports more coordination and resources across the mental health care continuum. For the coordinated mental health crisis response working group, VAHHS urged the committee to have the workgroup address the issue of patients who have assaulted health care workers being returned to the same emergency department to await in-person treatment.

 

No Surprises Act: The Department of Financial Regulation provided a high-level overview of the federal No Surprises Act and its proposal to enforce the federal law at the state level. The Department of Financial Regulations envisions a complaint-based enforcement process. The Vermont Medical Society and Bi-State Primary Care testified on the difficulty of implementing the new federal requirements and the Department of Financial Regulation said it will work with providers prior to any punitive actions. The House Health Care Committee drafted H.489 to move this framework forward.

 

Telehealth: The House Health Care Committee took up H.655, which creates a tiered approach to telehealth licensure, which would take effect on July 1, 2023:

The current telehealth flexibilities remain in effect until March 31.th From April 1st until March 30, 2023 health care providers must undergo a quick registration process to practice telehealth in Vermont under H.654.

 

Health Care Regulation: Donna Kinzer, the consultant hired by the legislative Task Force on Affordable, Accessible Health Care presented recommendations to manage costs and improve the health care delivery system to the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, including:

Prohibition of Firearms in Hospitals: The House passed the latest version of S.30, which prohibits firearms in hospitals and closes the “Charleston Loophole.” The bill will now head back to the Senate.