Vt. lawmakers call for transparency on UVM Health Network cuts

More than three dozen Vermont lawmakers joined health workers Tuesday to raise concerns about $122 million in cuts by the state’s largest health care provider in response to a budget feud with state regulators.



“We are making difficult decisions that no one likes,” University of Vermont Medical Center president Stephen Leffler said Tuesday about the UVM Health Network’s plan to reduce health care services statewide. “We are doing them as careful as we can to have the least impact on patients as possible, but they do impact patients.”

The network blames the cuts on a 1% decrease in commercial prices the Green Mountain Care Board ordered after the UVM Medical Center exceeded its allowed earnings last fiscal year.

Vermont lawmakers on Tuesday said they are also looking for more collaboration in search of solutions and transparency in the decision-making process.



“We have a lot to look at, there’s a lot of pressures on the system across the board, and none of them can be looked at in isolation. We need everyone collaborating at the table, not pointing fingers,” said Rep. Anne Donahue/I-Northfield.

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