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STATE OF VERMONT
Senate Chamber
  • Sen. Virginia "Ginny" Lyons, Chair
  • Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, Vice Chair
  • Sen. Ann Cummings
  • Sen. Larry Hart
  • Sen. Samuel Douglass, Clerk

Senate Committee on Health and Welfare

 

AGENDA

 

Room 17 and Zoom

February 18, 2025 - February 21, 2025

Last Updated 2/21/2025 11:56 AM

 

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are livestreamed at

https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/senate-health-and-welfare.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

9:30 AM                   Senate Floor

 

10:00 AM                   S. 27 - An act relating to medical debt relief and excluding medical debt from credit reports

Mark-up

Chris Delia, President, Vermont Bankers' Association

Devon Green, Vice President of Government Relations, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems

Mike Fisher, Chief Health Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid

 

10:40 AM                   S. 18 - An act relating to licensure of freestanding birth centers

Mark-up

Lauren Layman, General Counsel, Vermont Department of Health

Peter Stuart, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident, North Country Hospital

Laurie Foster, Legislative Liaison, Vermont Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-midwives

Gail Zatz, Member, Vermont Birth Center Coalition

 

12:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

9:00 AM                   S. 36 - An act relating to Medicaid coverage of long-term residential treatment for co-occurring substance use disorder and mental health condition

Mark-up

Kelly Dougherty, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Department of Health

Tony Folland, Clinical Services Manager and State Opioid Treatment Authority, Vermont Department of Health

Mark Redmond, Executive Director, Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Chris Smith, Chief Clinical Officer, Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Dawn Tatro, Founder/Director, Jenna's Promise

Candace Gale, Director of Community Relations, Vermont Foundation of Recovery

Alex McCracken, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA)

 

10:30 AM                   Committee Discussion

Committee bill

Devon Green, Vice President of Government Relations, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems

Jessa Barnard, Executive Director, Vermont Medical Society

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

Mike Fisher, Chief Health Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid

Susan Ridzon, Executive Director, Healthfirst, Inc.

Mary Kate Mohlman, Director of Public Policy, Bi-State Primary Care Association

 

11:45 AM                   Recovery Day

Recovery centers and residences

Gary DeCarolis, Outgoing Executive Director, Vermont Recovery Network

Lila Bennett, Executive Director, Journey to Recovery Community Center

Nicholas Farias, Guest, Journey to Recovery Community Center

Candace Gale, Director of Community Relations, Vermont Foundation of Recovery

 

12:00 PM                   Adjourn

 

1:00 PM                   Senate Floor

 

Thursday, February 20, 2025

9:00 AM                   Committee Discussion

Committee bill

Brendan Krause, Director of Health Care Reform, Agency of Human Services

William Dempsey, Health Data Officer, Agency of Human Services

Nolan Langweil, Principal Fiscal Analyst, Joint Fiscal Office

Alicia Cooper, Ph.D., Director of Managed Care Operations, Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA)

Owen Foster, J.D., Chair, Green Mountain Care Board (9:50 AM)

 

10:25 AM                   Adjourn

 

10:30 AM                   Joint Assembly

Election of Sergeant at Arms and UVM Trustees

 

Friday, February 21, 2025

9:05 AM                   Health Care Economics

Overview

David Murman, Board Member, Green Mountain Care Board

John Colmers, Chair, Milbank Memorial Fund

Alena Berube, PhD Student, Health Policy, and Clinical Practice, The Dartmouth Institute

Elliott Fisher, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, The Dartmouth Institute

 

11:20 AM                   S. 28 - An act relating to access to certain legally protected health care services

Clara Keegan, Family Physician, Member, Vermont Medical Society

 

11:25 AM                   Health Care Economics

Continued overview

Elliott Fisher, Professor of Medicine and Health Policy, The Dartmouth Institute

 

11:55 AM                   Adjourn

 

ATTENTION WITNESSES

 

Please email handouts to the committee assistant at least 24 hours before your scheduled meeting time. With few exceptions, any documents you send to a committee assistant are open to the public and may be posted to the committee’s web page.

 

Should you require accessibility services, please click here and note that requests should be made 48 hours in advance of testimony.

 

 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact

 Kiki Carasi-Schwartz at kcarasi-schwartz@leg.state.vt.us