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Legislators Hear Bill to License Freestanding Birth Centers as Lower-cost, Midwifery-led Option
Summary
A committee hearing on bill S.18 covered provisions to license freestanding birth centers in Vermont, testimony on evidence of safety and cost savings, and administrative roles for the Department of Health and Medicaid payer issues.
Senator Gulick, the Senate sponsor of S.18, told a legislative committee that the bill would create a legal pathway for freestanding birth centers in Vermont and that it has strong support in the Senate. “This bill that is near and dear to my heart,” she said, adding that it passed her committee unanimously and drew no questions on the floor.
The bill would establish licensure, inspection and rulemaking for freestanding birth centers through the Vermont Department of Health. Lauren Laymon, general counsel at the Department of Health, told the committee the department would oversee an application, inspection and licensing process and lead rulemaking on staffing, equipment, complaint processes and quality assurance. “We would collaborate with the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living,” Laymon said, and implement the licensing language as written.
Why it matters: proponents and some state health officials told the committee that freestanding birth centers are an…
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