Health Care Provider Stabilization Grant Program – Applications Opening This Week
The Agency of Human Services has started posting information on its website regarding the Health Care Provider Stabilization Grant Program. The application for this program is not yet live but is targeted to open this week. Providers will have one month to submit an online application for funding at which time all applicants will be evaluated together; this is not a first-come-first serve award process. Funding will be allocated based on need, to the extent that funds are available. If you would like to receive an e-mail to receive updates regarding when program is live, please enter your information in the AHS online form. You can also visit https://humanservices.vermont.gov/ for updates.
The Front-Line Employees Hazard Pay Grant Program does not yet have a targeted launch date. Additional information, including the timeline, is forthcoming. This will be a first-come, first-serve award process for eligible employers.
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Supreme Court Ruling Exempts Employers from Covering Contraception Costs
On Wednesday, July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court upheld two rulings that provide employers the option not to include coverage for contraceptives in insurance plans offered to employees or students due to religious or moral objections and/or to require cost-sharing for employees seeking contraceptives. A Vermont law that was passed in 2016 mandated that any private insurance plan in Vermont cover contraceptives and vasectomies with no cost-sharing or out-of-pocket expenses to the patient. While the Vermont law did not include a religious exemption, according to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Vermonters who receive health insurance through an ERISA plan could be impacted, as self-insured businesses and entities can now legally claim the religious exemption due to this SCOTUS ruling.
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The Physician's Foundation Launches COVID-19 Survey: Physicians' Perspective
The Physician's Foundation is launching a three-part survey series in order to better understand how the nation's physicians are impacted by and responding to the coronavirus epidemic. Please take a moment to answer the following ten question survey
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Apply Today! VMS Physician Executive Leadership Institute Accepting Applications
Perhaps never before have physicians and PAs been asked to step up and skillfully lead rapid change than they have throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Every clinician has brought her or his leadership and management styles and skills to the forefront to ensure the best outcomes for Vermont patients. The VMS Education & Research Foundation is pleased to announce it is now accepting applications for its experiential Executive Leadership Institute, which will enhance and fine-tune the most important leadership skills and concepts for a statewide cohort of Vermont physicians and PAs. Applications will be accepted through September 18th, and the 40-hour, year-long course begins in November. Click here for more information.
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