Legislative Update

Devon Green, VP of Government Relations

Friday night into Saturday morning culminated in two minor miracles: an aurora borealis and the adjournment of the legislative session. I do mean miracle in multiple senses of the word. It’s both unbelievable what gets done in the final few days and absolutely astounding that Vermonters come together each year to navigate new topics and tackle the state’s biggest issues.

I shouldn’t wax too poetic, though—this isn’t the last of it. In anticipation of gubernatorial vetoes, the legislature has set aside June 17th to come back for a veto session. During this session, the legislature can consider other bills besides those that are vetoed, so stay tuned!

Below is the latest on some of the remaining bills on health care. For the outcomes of all the health care bills, go to our bill tracker.

Prior Authorization Reform and Administrative Simplification: This bill is in that liminal space of passed by both chambers, but not yet on the governor’s desk. Which means there’s still time to contact the governor’s office in support of H.766. The bill eliminates prior authorization for primary care providers, improves step therapy for patients, and aligns claims edits with Medicare. Whether you’re a provider, patient, or both, take two minutes to call 802-828-3345 and indicate your support. Insurers are arguing that H.766 will increase costs, but we believe fewer administrative burdens will lower costs and increase access by improving care and attracting more primary care providers.

Data Privacy: This was one of the last bills of the session. H.121 is a comprehensive data privacy bill with a new framework around consent and sale of Vermonters’ data. The final bill includes a provision that excludes HIPAA-covered entities and their business associates. The bill does apply to the nonmedical portion of hybrid entities, as defined by HIPAA.