115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633-5301
Tel: (802) 828-2228
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STATE OF VERMONT
House of Representatives
  • Rep. William J. Lippert, Chair
  • Rep. Anne B. Donahue, Vice Chair
  • Rep. Timothy Briglin, Ranking Member
  • Rep. Annmarie Christensen
  • Rep. Brian Cina
  • Rep. Sarah Copeland-Hanzas
  • Rep. Elizabeth "Betsy" Dunn
  • Rep. Douglas Gage
  • Rep. Michael Hebert
  • Rep. Lori Houghton, Clerk
  • Rep. Benjamin Jickling

House Committee on Health Care

 

AGENDA

 

Room 45

January 23, 2018 - January 26, 2018

Last Updated 1/26/2018 11:30 AM

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

10:00 AM          FLOOR

 

Immediately following adjournment          Caucuses

 

12:00 PM          Lunch

 

1:00 PM          Governor's FY 2019 Budget Address

Joint Assembly--House chamber

 

2:30 PM          Green Mountain Care Board

Following Governor's Budget Address.

Annual Report, GMCB work update, bill-back report; implementation of the All-payer Model

Susan Barrett, Executive Director, Green Mountain Care Board

Ena Backus, Chief of Health Regulatory Policy, Green Mountain Care Board

Pat Jones, Health Policy Project Director, Green Mountain Care Board - Phone

 

5:30 PM          Public Hearing on Access to Health Care

House Chamber.

Fifty-one witnesses testified; others submitted written testimony. Witness list and all testimony documents will be posted by 1/26/18.

Heather Pembrook, Huntington

Jill Charbonneau, President, Vermont AFL-CIO

Lorraine Hallock, Middlebury

Ethan Parke, Montpelier

Lois Whitmore, Essex Junction

Sandra Pond, Barre

Patricia Reid, Addison

Barbara Wilson, Shoreham

Millard Cox, Addison County Workers' Center

Kaiya Andrews, Waterbury

Amanda Sheppard, Middlebury

Ellen Schwartz, Brattleboro

Manny Mansbach, Athens

Will Bennington, Barre

Susan Leigh Deppe, M.D., Chair, Health Care Reform, Vermont Psychiatric Association

Bobby Rood, Warren

Tev Kelman, Washington

Abbey Lamay-West, Lincoln

Mari Cordes, President, Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals

Kyle Clauss, South Royalton

Allan Ramsay, M.D., Medical Director, People's Health & Wellness Clinic

Barbara Saunders, Brattleboro

Mary Chapman, Middlebury

Dorothy Mammen, Middlebury

Lesley Jacobson, Bennington

Mary Gerisch, Bennington

Charlie Murphy, Peer Advocate Counselor, Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL)

Jessica Morrison, Burlington

Tom Joslin, Jericho

Ellen Oxfeld, Vermont Health Care for All

Walter Carpenter, Montpelier

Tenzin Chophel, Burlington

Traven Leyshon, Middlesex

Greg Sands, Addison County

Marjorie Power, Montpelier

Michele Robbins, Essex Junction

Kelley Scholfield, Barre

Susan Aranoff, Member, Vermont Development Disabilities Council

Keith Brunner, Burlington

Xenia Williams, Barre Town

Michel Kabay, Plainfield

Kristine Smith, Barre

Priscilla Relyea, Barre

Jamie McCallum, Weybridge

Ivy Geilker, Middlebury

Mary Alice Bisbee, Montpelier

Griffin Shumway, Wilder

Jason Kaye, Middlebury

Ann Vanneman, Shrewsbury

Leslie Ward, Grand Isle

Barbara Hoffman, Shrewsbury

 

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

9:00 AM          Health Insurance Market

Broad discussion of current issues: individual mandate, executive orders regarding health insurance. 9:00 AM-Noon. Witnesses TBA

Robin Lunge, Board Member, Green Mountain Care Board

Emily Brown, Insurance Rates & Forms Assistant Director, Department of Financial Regulation - Invited

Agatha Kessler, Health Policy Director, Green Mountain Care Board

Betsy Bishop, President, Vermont Chamber of Commerce

Michael Fisher, Chief Advocate, Office of Health Care Advocate, Vt. Legal Aid

 

11:00 AM          S. 19 - An act relating to allowing silver-level nonqualified health benefit plans to be offered outside the Vermont Health Benefit Exchange

Bill from Senate. Cost-sharing Reduction Proposal

Jennifer Carbee, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Council

Sara Teachout, Director, Government, Public and Media Relations, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont

Robin Lunge, Board Member, Green Mountain Care Board - Invited

Michael Fisher, Chief Advocate, Office of Health Care Advocate, Vt. Legal Aid

Susan Gretkowski, Senior Government Affairs Strategist, MVP Healthcare

 

12:00 PM          Lunch

 

1:00 PM          FLOOR

 

2:00 PM          Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey

Discussion, updates

Nolan Langweil, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

Sarah Lindberg, Health Services Researcher, Green Mountain Care Board

Jessie Hammond, Vermont Department of Health - Phone

 

3:00 PM          TBA

 

Thursday, January 25, 2018

9:00 AM          Accountable Care Organizations

9:00 AM--Noon

Victoria Loner, Chief Operating Officer, OneCare Vermont (9:00 AM)

Michael Costa, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) (10:00 AM)

Alicia Cooper, Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) (10:00 AM)

Ena Backus, Chief of Health Regulatory Policy, Green Mountain Care Board

Pat Jones, Health Policy Project Director, Green Mountain Care Board - Phone

 

12:00 PM          Lunch

 

1:00 PM          FLOOR

 

2:00 PM          S. 19 - An act relating to allowing silver-level nonqualified health benefit plans to be offered outside the Vermont Health Benefit Exchange

Cost-Sharing Reduction proposal. Committee discussion and possible vote.

Other witnesses TBA

Nolan Langweil, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

Jennifer Carbee, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Council

Adaline Strumolo, Health Care Director, Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA)

Susan Gretkowski, Senior Government Affairs Strategist, MVP Healthcare

Agatha Kessler, Health Policy Director, Green Mountain Care Board

 

2:30 PM          Reports Repeal Bill

Rep. Benjamin Jickling

Jennifer Carbee, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Council

 

3:00 PM          Climate Change and Health Care

Vt. Dept. of Health Report:  "Climate Change and Health in Vermont"--presentation and Committee discussion

Jared Ulmer, Climate & Health Program Coordinator, Vermont Department of Health

 

4:00 PM          Medicaid Acupuncture Pilot  Project

Report

Robert Davis, Acupuncture Vermont

 

Friday, January 26, 2018

9:30 AM          FLOOR

 

10:30 AM          Health Care Affordability

Discussion with Office of Health Care Advocate

Michael Fisher, Chief Advocate, Office of Health Care Advocate, Vt. Legal Aid

Eric Schultheis, Health Law and Policy Analyst, Office of Health Care Advocate, Vt. Legal Aid

Julia Shaw, Policy Analyst, Office of the Health Care Advocate

 

12:00 PM          Lunch

 

12:15 PM          Tax Policy Workshop (optional)

12:15 - 1:15 PM, Room 10. This week: Education Finance

 

1:30 PM          H. 29 - An act relating to permitting Medicare supplemental plans to offer expense discounts

Committee discussion; Green Mountain Care Board report on pay parity

Jennifer Carbee, Legislative Counsel, Office of Legislative Council

Jessica Holmes, Member, Green Mountain Care Board

 

If you have any questions and comments, please contact

 Loring Starr at 802-828-2264 or lstarr@leg.state.vt.us

ATTENTION WITNESSES- Please email handouts to the committee assistant before your scheduled meeting date and bring THREE hard copies. Please write your name, organization, date and title on each document. With few exceptions, any documents you hand out to a committee, or send to a committee assistant, are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s webpage.