Committee advances bill raising Green Mountain Care Board certificate-of-need thresholds

The House Ways & Means Committee voted favorably to advance H96 on Feb. 27, approving changes that raise multiple monetary thresholds that trigger a certificate of need review by the Green Mountain Care Board and add two new category exemptions. Representative Masland moved the favorable report and the committee recorded unanimous support among members present; two members were absent.

The bill increases several dollar thresholds in existing certificate-of-need (CON) law. Under current law a nonhospital capital project costing more than $1,500,000 requires a CON; H96 would raise that construction trigger to $10,000,000. The bill raises the single-piece diagnostic or therapeutic equipment trigger from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 and raises the annual operating expense threshold for offering a new service or technology from $500,000 to $3,000,000. For hospitals the construction threshold would rise from $3,000,000 to $10,000,000. H96 also raises the threshold that requires a conceptual development certificate for very large projects from $30,000,000 to $50,000,000.

The measure adds two…