by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS
Health Care Reform: The House Health Care Committee has advanced all the bills that came over from the Senate and is devoting the rest of the session to S.126, the health care reform bill. The committee is going through the broad ideas of each section of the bill with the promise to return to get into the details. This week, the committee focused on reference based pricing with testimony from Alena Berube, MS, PhD candidate at the Dartmouth Institute and Director of Health Systems Policy at the Green Mountain Care Board and Dr. Christopher Whaley from Brown University School of Public Health.
The committee also heard from Joe Woodin, President and CEO of Copley Hospital, Judi Fox, President and CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center, and Stephen Leffler, MD, President and CEO of the University of Vermont Medical Center on behalf of the UVM Health Network. Copley Hospital and Rutland Regional Medical Center supported a responsible path forward on reference-based pricing. The UVM Health Network presented details on its recent settlement agreement and commitment to driving down costs. It also supports a total cost of care model for driving delivery system changes.
The House Health Care Committee also looked at oversight of the UVM Health Network and head from Owen Foster, Chair of the Green Mountain Care Board about the need for network regulatory authority.
Expansion of Green Mountain Care Board Powers: Stephen Leffler, MD, President and CEO of the University of Vermont Medical Center testified on behalf of the UVM Health Network in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. Leffler noted that UVMHN was largely driving the need for H.482, not other hospitals. He asked the committee not to advance the bill or to delay implementation to incorporate lessons learned from the UVMHN settlement agreement. Owen Foster, Chair of the Green Mountain Care Board believes the bill is a necessary tool to save Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and strongly urged the committee to pass the bill as written.
Repeal of Prohibition on Holding Intoxicated Individuals in Correctional Facilities: The House Human Services Committee voted out S.36 with a full repeal of the prohibition against intoxicated individuals being held in correctional facilities, which was slated to start July 1st. VAHHS appreciates the committee’s work on this bill—without the repeal, emergency departments would see a huge strain on ED capacity and increase in workplace violence.
340B Protections: Dawn Cogger, Gifford Medical Center, testified on the difficulty of reporting pharmaceutical data that is wrapped up in bundled payments. Cogger pointed out that Minnesota legislation requiring this information was unable to obtain it. She supported H.266 as passed by the House.
Legally Protected Health Care Activities: The House passed S.28 in an 8-3 vote. In addition to prohibiting misleading communications and improper delegation of services, the bill also protects licensee contact information within the Public Records Act and strengthens the shield law. It is now on its way to the governor.
Medical Debt Relief: The Second Reading of S.27, the medical debt relief bill, included an amendment from Reps. Donahue and Black to define behavioral health. The House should vote the bill out on Tuesday.
To support vital journalism, access our archives and get unique features like our award-winning profiles, Book of Lists & Business-to-Business Directory, subscribe HERE!
