January 20, 2026

NEED TO KNOW

Contact your Representatives Today – Support H.545 and Evidence-Based Access to Vaccines

The Vermont Medical Society along with others specialty organizations testified multiple times in the first two weeks of the session to strongly support H.545, a bill that would allow the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health to make Vermont-specific immunization recommendations rather than referencing the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations in state law.  This change allows Vermont to pay for, require insurance coverage of, and pharmacist administration of,  evidence-based vaccinations. VMS supports this change to allow Vermont to:

1. Maintain access to and coverage for recommended vaccines
2. Reduce confusion among patients and health care professionals
3. Protect health care professionals
4. Strengthen public health responsiveness

This bill will likely be voted out of the House Committee on Human Services this afternoon and proceed to the floor for a vote on Thursday and Friday.

Please contact your Representative (click here to find your legislator) today and ask them to support this legislation.

Governor Provides FY2027 Budget Address

Governor Scott delivered his FY2027 Budget Address on Tuesday afternoon of this week to provide his funding recommendations to the Legislature as they start their FY27 Budget discussions. The Governor’s address predictability focused on decreasing the education budget and increasing access to affordable housing, but he also rolled out his proposals to transform Vermont’s approach to providing health care. "Single-payer remains embedded in our health care system, resulting in some of the fewest choices and some of the highest costs in the nation. And when healthcare costs rise, so does the cost of living, of doing business, of running government and schools… it affects all of us. We need a new approach.”  The Governor gave what he said are some "common sense steps” to lowering cost and improving access to care, including:  offering a wider range of insurance options, using reinsurance to lower costs, and using the Rural Health Transformation Grant award (Approx. $1 billion over 5 years)  "to expand primary care practices, give underserved areas access to more choices for care, and rebuild our healthcare workforce.” 

The Governor also cited Vermont’s continued commitment to mental health, addiction treatment, and recovery and reprioritizing prevention, treatment, recovery and enforcement. He outlined a $2 million increase in investment in shelter beds, a recovery employment program, residential treatment, peer support, and expanded treatment services in corrections facilities. The House Appropriations Committee will begin taking testimony on the FY27 Budget this week. 

Legislative Update for the Second Week of the Session

Committees are moving quickly to get their bills in cue for hearings and discussions to get them over the finish line. H.84, a bill allowing

 patient-consent for telehealth recordings, passed by a vote of 10–0 in the House Health Care Committee last week and it passed the House this week and advances to the Senate.  VMS priority primary care payment reform bills, H.680 and S.197, were introduced last week, and Jessa Barnard, Executive Director of the Vermont Medical Society will testify on S.197 in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday of this week. The legislation aims to establish a primary care access reform program moving participating practices away from fee-for-service toward a per-patient, per-month payment model and increasing Vermont’s health care spending on primary care to 15% of the total spend.

Vermont Public spoke with VMS Executive Director, Jessa Barnard, about why this work is so important for Vermont’s future. “The Vermont Medical Society says the state is currently short about 100 primary care doctors, and that this shortage is expected to get worse as providers age, retire and aren’t replaced. And for those trying to find a medical home, wait times are long.”

Stephanie Winters, Deputy Executive Director of the Vermont Medical Society, testified in support of H.545, a bill to strengthen Vermont’s immunization recommendation process. She emphasized that the bill would establish clear statutory authority for the Vermont Commissioner of Health to issue immunization recommendations, reducing confusion for clinicians and patients about schedules and coverage. Winters also noted that H.545 would provide liability protection for health care professionals acting in good faith based on official Vermont guidance, support the medical home and care coordination, preserve universal, no-cost access to recommended vaccines, and help ensure a stable vaccine supply with less administrative burden for practices. Read her testimony here.

This week, along with the testimony on S.197, the primary care bill, VMS will also testify on H. 237, a bill that would expand the scope of practice to allow doctoral-level psychologists to prescribe and on H.583, a bill that aims to limit the role of private equity in health care in Vermont. 

Congress Making Progress on Health Care Extensions

Tuesday morning Congressional leaders announced they had reached a deal – still requiring Congressional approval – that would:

• Extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2027
• Fund hospital at home through 2030
• Increase funding to community health centers
• Increase regulation of PBMs

The package does not include extending enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance plans sold on the exchange. VMS will share more details as they become available.

Vermont Workers’ Compensation Program Proposes Updated Fee Schedule

After years of VMS urging updates, the Department of Labor is proposing to completely overhaul Vermont’s fee schedule for the Workers’ Compensation Program. In summary, the changes would:

• Expand the fee schedule to include many more services such as dental and services billed with HCPCS codes, outpatient facility services and inpatient hospital facility services (services not included on the fee schedule have been paid at 83% of billed charges)
• Update the code set to include current codes through Medicare’s 2026 fee schedule
• Adopt NCCI coding edits

The payment methodology would apply a Vermont conversion factor or multiplier to the Medicare rates. It would be higher than Medicare rates, but the exact conversion factor(s) have not yet been shared.

The Department of Labor will be accepting comments on the proposal until Friday, February 13th at VTFeedback@fairhealth.org before going into formal rulemaking. VMS will share detailed slides and the proposed fee schedule as soon as these are provided by the Department of Labor. Please also contact Jessa Barnard at jbarnard@vtmd.org to be directly emailed the materials.

EVENTS

2026 Hospital Medicine Conference

February 4-6, 2026

Topnotch Resort, Stowe, VT

This conference will focus on key clinical advancements and guidelines to ensure optimal patient care. The target audience is comprised of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and nurses practicing in hospital medicine. We also encourage hospital medicine program administrators, resident physicians, and medical students with an interest in careers in hospital medicine.

Please visit the conference website the agenda and registration link here.

New England History of Medicine Society - Jim Crow & the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South

Tuesday, Feb 10, 2026 at 7pm (eastern) via Zoom

There is a complicated history of racism and psychiatric healthcare in the Deep South states. Kylie M. Smith mixes exhaustive archival research, interviews, and policy analysis to offer a comprehensive look at how racism affected Black Southerners with mental illness during the Jim Crow era.

Kylie Smith is Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Healthcare History and Policy in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Associate Faculty in the History Department, at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her new book entitled “Jim Crow in the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South” has just been published.

Register here.

AlpTerra Wilderness Medicine Course

March 5–9, March 12–16, October 1–5, October 8–12, 2026

Franconia, New Hampshire

Join Alpterra for an immersive, hands-on wilderness medicine course designed to prepare you for real-life scenarios in the outdoors. Treat mock injuries, problem-solve in the elements, and walk away with practical skills that stick.

• Max 4:1 participant-to-instructor ratio for highly personalized, discussion-driven learning.
• Accredited for up to 16 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ — an excellent use of your CME allowance.
• Stay on-site in a luxury home-style setting. Enjoy locally sourced, family-style meals tailored to dietary needs.
• Add-on trips let you ski, climb, or explore the White Mountains with expert guides before or after your course.

Learn more about the agenda and registration here.

For more information about offerings from UVM CMIE, visit here.

Vermont Medical Society

PO Box 153

Williamstown, VT 05679

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