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Committee hears debate over S.189 requiring notice and analysis before hospital service cuts
Summary
Committee members and witnesses debated S.189, the Senate bill that would require hospitals to provide public notice before eliminating or reducing services and would task the Agency of Human Services (AHS) with analyzing proposed reductions. Witnesses supported notice but disagreed about whether AHS or the Green Mountain Care Board should have final decision authority and highlighted timing, data and resource gaps.
A legislative committee on April 2 heard extended testimony on S.189, the Senate bill intended to create a formal notice-and-review process for hospitals that propose to reduce or eliminate service lines.
Mike Fisher, a health care advocate, testified that a regulatory, multi-step process is necessary as hospitals face budget guidance that amounts to negative growth and must make difficult decisions about which services to keep. "We don't have anybody to pay the bill," Fisher said, arguing that advance notice, public input and agency review can help preserve essential regional services such as inpatient pediatrics, birthing and psychiatric care.
A representative of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems told the committee the association supports the bill''s notice and public-engagement provisions because they ensure…
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