by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS Legislative committees started taking up bills from the other chamber last week while multiple budget bills are on the move:
Budget Adjustment Act: Usually, the Budget Adjustment Act is passed and signed early in the session, but this year, the legislature is on its second attempt, after the governor vetoed the first version. The latest version, H.489, which removes $1.8M in funding for the hotel/motel program but extends the cold weather requirement until the end of June, will be on the Senate floor for a vote this week.
FY 2026 Budget: Last week, the House passed the FY 2026 budget, H.493, which included the following hospital-related proposals:
- $4.4 million, as proposed by the governor, to transition participating hospitals from fee-for-service to a global payment system in preparation for the AHEAD model
- $300,000 for 3 new positions to the Green Mountain Care Board, as recommended in the governor’s proposal
- $866,000 to expand alternatives to emergency departments for mental health services
Data Privacy: The Senate passed S.71, a data privacy bill that exempts HIPAA-covered entities and nonprofits.
Private Equity: The House Health Care Committee heard from experts on the current private equity landscape. Dr. Nancy Kane, Professor of Health Policy and Management Emerita, Michael Fenne, with the Private Equity Stakeholder Project and Maureen Hensley-Quinn from NASHP presented on the private equity business model and tactics that leave health care systems struggling, especially those related to debt and real estate. The Health Care Advocate discussed how Vermont is particularly vulnerable to private equity bad practices at the moment while acknowledging that legislating the issue is complex and would take stakeholder work.
Freestanding Birth Centers: The House Health Care Committee heard testimony on S.18, the licensure of freestanding birth centers. VAHHS testified in support of increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for birthing centers in all settings and safe transfer protocols.
Legally Protected Health Services: VAHHS testified in support of S.28 in the House Health Care Committee. The bill prohibits providing misleading information about health care services and protects the personal information of licensed health care workers through an exemption in the public records act.
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