Committee debates notice rules for hospital service reductions tied to budget orders; retains 90-day framework for now

A legislative committee considered new notice and monitoring provisions in H.96 that would require hospitals proposing to reduce or eliminate services to notify state entities and provide a rationale showing consistency with the statewide healthcare delivery plan and the hospital's most recent community health needs assessment.

The provision under discussion applies when a hospital "proposes to reduce or eliminate a service" specifically "to comply with a budget order." The required recipients of notice are the Green Mountain Care Board, the Agency of Human Services (AHS) and the Health Care Advocate. The notice must explain "the rationale for the proposed reduction or elimination and how it is consistent with the statewide healthcare delivery plan and the hospital's most recent community needs assessment," and allows the board to evaluate the proposal and "modify the hospital's budget or take such additional actions as…