House advances bill to license freestanding birth centers, sends amended plan to Senate

The Vermont House of Representatives on April 16 voted to propose amendments and advance S.18, an act to license freestanding birth centers, sending the amended bill back to the Senate and ordering third reading.

Supporters said the measure would create a regulated option for low‑risk births outside hospitals, require state licensure and rules based on national standards, and direct the Agency of Human Services to seek federal approval for Medicaid coverage.

S.18 would add a new chapter to 18 V.S.A. to define birth centers and license their operation through the Department of Health. The bill, as described on the House floor, would prohibit birth centers from providing epidural anesthesia or cesarean delivery; require applications, renewals and transfers to include a $250 fee; make licenses nontransferable and specific to premises and the named applicant; and require rules based on the American Association of Birth Centers’ National Birth Center Standards. Representative Goldman, speaking for the House Committee on Health Care, said the centers would serve "healthy, low risk pregnancies" and provide a "warm, home‑like environment outside of a hospital setting."

The bill adds birth centers to entities that private health plans with maternity benefits must cover and directs the Agency of Human Services to seek Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approval to allow Vermont Medicaid to cover professional and facility fees for services at certified birth centers. The Certificate of Need process would not apply to birth centers under an amendment to 18 V.S.A. §94.35, with that…