VT H0320

Green Mountain Care Board prohibited until July 1, 2026 from implementing four consultant recommendations: limiting commercial subsidization of hospital shortfalls, restricting hospital-based outpatient department licensing, moving to reference-based pricing at 200% of Medicare, and requiring uniform hospital accounting methods

Green Mountain Care Board required to promptly simplify the certificate of need process and encourage freestanding diagnostic, ambulatory surgical, and birth centers

Board must collect financial and service-level data directly from Vermont hospitals and report goals for hospital system transformation to stabilize rural hospitals by March 1, 2026

Department of Vermont Health Access and Department of Financial Regulation must explore expanding health insurers on the Vermont Health Benefit Exchange beyond the current two participating insurers, with recommendations due January 15, 2026

Area Health Education Centers must develop a plan by January 15, 2026 for placing medical trainees at critical access hospitals and using scholarship/loan repayment programs to encourage rural medicine careers; Board must recommend compensation for hospitals caring for patients awaiting transfer over 24 hours by December 1, 2025