Legislative Update
Devon Green, VP of Government Relations
Welcome back! In every session, usually around the third week in April, there's a simultaneous head explosion as we all mentally calculate the number of hours in the day and the things that need to get done and realize that it's physically impossible.
This year, I'm feeling it in week one.
There are some huge ideas impacting health care out there, and not a lot of time. Here's what we'll be following closely:
Health care system stabilization: hospitals are struggling to care for patients due to underfunded post-acute and mental health resources
Workforce: shortages throughout all sectors of health care continue to impact hospitals
Housing: hits hospitals twofold, with needs for both patients and workforce
Health care reform:
Federal AHEAD Model and Hospital Global Budgets: decisions for shifting to a hospital global budget and primary care enhancement must happen this session
Act 167 Hospital Transformation: recommendations are slated to come out in early spring
Committees must also be sensing the urgency, because they dove right into work last week:
Health Care System Stabilization: The Agency of Human Services provided a high-level overview on its recommended budget adjustment for FY24, including:
$33 million increase across Vermont's Medicaid program
$17 million in emergency financial relief for skilled nursing facilities to support required staffing
Workforce: The House Health Care Committee dove into workforce with licensure compacts for occupational therapists with H.247 and social workers with H.543. Licensure compacts provide greater opportunity for individuals from other states in the compacts to come work in Vermont.
Health Care Reform: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard a "walkthrough" or overview of last year's S.151 Omnibus Health Care Bill. This bill, already big, will continue to evolve and will likely be the vehicle for much of the health care reform action. As it stands, it already contains:
increasing pay transparency in health care by having the Green Mountain Care Board oversee contracts and fee schedules between providers
bringing Medicaid reimbursement to 100% of Medicare reimbursement
exempting providers from prior authorization if 90% of their requests are approved
clarifying the GMCB nominating and appointment process
requiring insurers to disclose the amount of premium expended on care coordination and management
requiring insurers to report on reserves
requiring insurers to participate in value-based care models
H.72 Harm Reduction Bill: The House Committees on Human Services and Appropriations advanced a bill that allows for overdose prevention centers, allocating $2 million to support two overdose prevention centers in the state.
As you can see—t's more than most first weeks. We'll be right here, letting you know what's going on and how to help.