May 27, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

Legislature Fails to Resolve Key Policies and Adjournment Date Pushed Out 

With no clear path to resolution between the House, Senate and Governor's office on health reform, education, housing, support for the homeless, and other bills, adjournment this week is in question. The Conference Committee for S.126, the health reform bill that includes reference-based pricing for hospitalsand the creation of a Primary Care Steering Committee, began its work in earnest today and will continue to meet this week to iron out differences between the House and Senate versions. S.69, the bill affectionately called the "Kid's Code bill," passed the House today and heads back to the Senate for final approval. This bill, which is expected to pass, aims to create a more protective environment for youth by prohibiting the sale of kids’ personal data, prohibiting manipulative social media design features, and preventing unwanted adults from contacting youth online. Another bill aimed at protecting youth, H.54, was added as an amendment to H.480, the Misc. Education bill, which has passed both the House and Senate. If signed by the Governor, this bill will require all school districts to develop policies prohibiting students from accessing their phones and personal devices during the school day. School districts would need to have policies in place by the 2026-2027 school year. Last week, H.482 passed the House and advances to the Governor's desk. This bill grants the Green Mountain Care Board authority to adjust commercial health insurance reimbursement rates payable to a hospital at any time during the hospital’s fiscal year as a mechanism to enforce hospital budgets established by the Board. H.266, which began as a bill related to the 340B drug pricing program expanded in scope last week in the House, where the House Health Care committee added language to put in place price caps for outpatient drugs administered by hospitals.  The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems testified that the caps would lead to service cuts at hospitals while Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Green Mountain Care Board and the business community hammered Vermont hospitals for charging the highest rates in the country for such medications.  See media coverage here.

US House Passes Budget Reconciliation Bill – Millions Would Lose Medicaid Coverage

Last Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes significant changes to the Medicaid program and the Affordable Care Act, as well as additional provisions related to Medicare and Health Savings Accounts.  KFF has summarized the relevant sections of the House-passed bill and compared the changes to current law.  According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, 8.7 million people would lose Medicaid coverage under these provisions, and 7.6 million more would be uninsured within 10 years.  Senators have already indicated they plan to make changes to the House-passed bill, with several moderate Senators concerned about the Medicaid impacts.   The American Medical Association has voiced concerns about the reductions in coverage however has also supported increases in the Medicare professional services fee schedule also contained in the bill. 

Among the Medicaid impacts in the bill, KFF lists the following:

• Requires states to condition Medicaid eligibility for individuals ages 19-64 enrolled through the ACA expansion group on working or participating in qualifying activities for at least 80 hours per month
• Requires states to impose cost sharing of up to $35 per service on certain adults
• Reduces the match rate for certain populations from 90% to 80% for states that provide health coverage or financial assistance, including using their own funds, to individuals without qualifying immigration status
• Requires states to conduct eligibility redeterminations at least every 6 months for Medicaid expansion adults.
• Limits retroactive coverage to one month prior to application for coverage (vs the current 90 days)
• Prohibits states from establishing any new provider taxes or from increasing the rates of existing taxes
• Prohibits Medicaid funds to be paid to providers that are nonprofit organizations, essential community providers primarily engaged in family planning services or reproductive services (read to prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving any Medicaid funds)
• Prohibits federal matching funds for “gender transition procedures,” defined to include puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgery, for any individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP
• Requires more frequent Medicaid provider screenings

VMS Launches New Physician Leadership Development Course - Apply Today!

The Vermont Medical Society is pleased to announce that we are now partnering with the University of Vermont Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) unit to offer a new statewide physician leadership development course beginning in September 2025 and running until March 2026.   The course is designed to empower physician leaders across Vermont with the skills, knowledge, practical experience, and networking opportunities needed to foster effective team success. 

See the course information and FAQs here.

VMS is now accepting interested applicants!

Applicants submit a brief statement of interest in the course and a CV. Apply here. Applications are due July 1, 2025. If there are more interested candidates than seats, VMS will select participants with the goal of wide representation from practice types, specialties and locations.  (Please note, UVM Health Network physicians should apply separately  - learn more here.)

Key dates:

• Applications due July 1, 2025
• Selected candidates informed by July 18, 2025
• Registration and $3400 in tuition due by August 22, 2025
• Course begins September 12, 2025, in-person at Topnotch, Stowe

Contact Stephanie Winters at swinters@vtmd.org with questions. 

MISC.

VMS Pushes for Answers Regarding Use of $11 Million in Primary Care Settlement Dollars

Last week, VMS sent a letter in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter (AAPVT) and the Vermont Academy of Family Physicians (VTAFP) emphasizing the need to include primary care organizations in planning for uses of the $11 million in funds dedicated to supporting primary care practices in the UVMHN-Green Mountain Care Board Settlement Agreement signed in March.  As our organizations have been unable to receive a clear answer regarding which agency is in charge of deciding the uses of the funds nor obtain a meeting with AHS to discuss our suggestions for statewide uses of the funds, the letter also detailed our suggestions for the use of the funds, such as continuing to fund the Blueprint for Health Mental Health Integration pilot and DULCE programs and fully fund the Maple Mountain Consortium family medicine residency program. 

VMS Lawsuit Gains Media Attention

As shared in the Rounds last week, the Vermont Medical Society has joined a group of nine medical organizations and public health nonprofits to sue the federal government to stop the deletion of vital public health and science data. Since January, the federal executive branch has deleted numerous websites that medical providers, scientists and public health professionals rely upon, on issues ranging from pregnancy risks to opioid-use disorder to the AIDS epidemic. The lawsuit, filed last Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, would enforce federal law and require the administration to restore deleted websites and stop any further removal of public health data. The filing of the lawsuit received media coverage (full coverage is audio only)  as well as a supportive editorial from the Rutland Herald. 

EVENTS

Measles 2025: The State of the Outbreak

May 27, 2025 from 4pm - 5:30pm

The U.S. is experiencing its highest rate of measles infections in decades. As of May 12, over 1,000 cases have been reported across 31 states, and three people have died as a result of complications from the virus. Amid this widespread and dangerous outbreak, health care providers, public health practitioners, and members of the public need to know how to protect their patients, communities and loved ones.

This free public webinar will cover:

• How measles spreads and how it can be contained
• Symptoms of measles and how it is diagnosed and treated
• How to share accurate information about the virus
• The challenge of vaccine hesitancy and declining immunization rates

Register here.

Save the Date Spring 2025 Palliative Care Series

May 29 - June 25, 2025 from 12pm - 1:15pm

Session 2: May 29, 2025

• Slipping Through the Seams: Optimizing Transitions in Care Settings for People with Serious Illness
• Learn more and Register here.

Session 3: June 10, 2025

• I Don't Want to Die Like That! Choosing to Stop Eating and Drinking Instead
• Learn more and Register here.

Session 4: June 18, 2025

• Stories About Medical Aid in Dying
• Learn more and Register here.

Session 5: June 18, 2025

• Opioids and Pain/Symptom Management
• Registration coming soon.

CARE Conference 2025

Learning Objective:

At the conclusion of the set of conference learning sessions, participants will be able to:

1. Describe recent large-scale changes to federal systems related to SUD and mental health treatment, including how State of Vermont policy and regulatory objectives coincide with these federal changes.
2. Evaluate how pre-clinic treatment engagement or the implementation of a novel clinical strategy may impact care for patients with Opioid Use Disorder.
3. Identify at least one care management or delivery strategy for engaging patients with SUD who also experience justice involvement, trauma, or family-related factors affecting treatment outcomes.

Register here.

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

Vermont Medical Society

134 Main Street

Montpelier, VT 05602

-- Unsubscribe --