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Lawmakers convene joint Health & Welfare and House Healthcare hearing to gather ideas on lowering health-care costs
Summary
Senate Health & Welfare and House Healthcare held a joint hearing in Room 11 of the State House on Feb. 5 to gather testimony about controlling health-care costs and the regulatory changes other states have pursued. Invited experts included Dartmouth health-policy researcher Elliot Fisher and Milbank Memorial Fund president Chris Koller.
Montpelier — Members of the Vermont Senate Health & Welfare Committee and the House Healthcare Committee met in a joint hearing on Feb. 5 in Room 11 of the State House to gather outside perspectives on reducing health-care costs and on regulatory reforms other states have tried.
The committees said they have been reviewing work on Act 167 since 2022 and are taking testimony focused on the drivers of health-care spending, quality and access. The session brought two outside experts to speak about system-level approaches: Elliot Fisher, a health-policy researcher at Dartmouth, and Chris Koller, president of the Milbank Memorial Fund and a former Rhode Island health insurance commissioner.
The committees framed the meeting as part of a broader review of the state's health system. Committee members said they are seeking both in-state solutions and lessons from other states that could inform Vermont policy on cost, quality and access. Committee members also noted that the Green Mountain Care Board and the Agency of Human Services had provided testimony to one of the committees the previous day.
Fisher described his background in primary care and health-policy research and said his work focuses on causes and consequences of variation in health-system performance. Koller outlined his experience running a national health-policy fund and his prior role as Rhode Island's health insurance commissioner; he framed his remarks as complementary to the research perspective.
Committee members said they planned to hear evidence about regulatory tools and system changes that could reduce costs without sacrificing access or quality. The hearing was structured for speakers to present and then for members to ask questions for clarification; no formal votes were taken during the session.
The committees said they will continue taking testimony in coming meetings as they consider how to align regulatory changes with work already underway under Act 167.
