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Committee hears wide support for primary‑care payment reform, debates design and timing
Summary
Testimony on S.197 focused on establishing a primary‑care payment model and spending target: business and provider groups supported investment, payers urged clearer quality metrics and data sharing, and the Health Care Advocate proposed near‑term levers such as Medicaid, QHP design, and state employee plan changes.
The Senate Health & Welfare committee received extensive testimony on S.197, a bill to create a primary‑care payment reform program and increase investment in primary care across Vermont.
Supporters argued that expanding primary care would improve health outcomes and reduce downstream costs. ‘‘At current staffing rates, Vermont will be short approximately 370 primary care providers by 2030,’’ Johanna DeGrath Reid of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility told the committee, urging the legislature to assess funding needs and to include a universal primary‑care report to guide 2028 recommendations.
Payers emphasized that…
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