Bill > H0482

This bill enhances the Green Mountain Care Board's authority to manage hospital reimbursement rates and oversight in Vermont, specifically by allowing the Board to reduce hospital reimbursement rates if a health insurance company is at risk of becoming insolvent. The bill permits the Board to order rate reductions for hospitals with more than 135 days' cash on hand and a positive operating margin, but ensures that such reductions cannot decrease a hospital's cash on hand below 125 days. Additionally, the bill empowers the Board to appoint an independent observer to monitor a hospital's operations if the hospital has made material misrepresentations or is noncompliant with its established budget. The independent observer can obtain hospital information, report findings to the Board and the Office of the Health Care Advocate, and may be paid for by the hospital. The hospital observer provision is set to be automatically repealed on January 1, 2030, providing a sunset clause for this new oversight mechanism. The bill aims to protect health insurance company solvency while maintaining hospital financial stability and providing a mechanism for closer regulatory scrutiny of hospital operations.

Health and Social Services

Health Care (House)

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.482