Medicaid Changes Are Set to Kick In for Vermonters | |
Seven Days
State workers bustled inside Ferrisburgh Town Hall on a recent afternoon, arranging rows of folding chairs and queuing up a slideshow in the main room. On the modest stage, Department of Vermont Health Access Commissioner DaShawn Groves and deputy commissioner Leslie Wisdom took their seats at a table, ready to explain the coming Medicaid changes to the people who will have to contend with them.
Nearly 50,000 low-income Vermonters will be subject to new requirements beginning next year. The state had invited the public to come learn what is changing and ask questions.
The officials waited.
The rows of chairs stayed empty.
State employees, one staffer from U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) office and two reporters had come. But not a single Medicaid enrollee showed up.
Groves and Wisdom gave the presentation anyway.
They laid out how a sweeping federal budget law signed by President Donald Trump last year is about to make it harder for tens of thousands of Vermonters to maintain Medicaid coverage.
The first wave of pain is expected on Thursday, October 1, when an estimated 235 Vermonters will lose Medicaid because of restrictions tied to their immigration status. Beginning January 1, additional eligibility rules — including work requirements and twice-yearly reviews — will limit new applicants and gradually expand to an estimated 49,000 low-income adult Vermonters when they next renew their coverage.
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| Rural Vermont hospitals launch new residency program to combat primary care shortage | |
WCAX
With Vermont facing roughly half the primary care doctors it needs and rural counties facing even steeper deficits, local healthcare providers are taking training into their own hands to attract and keep medical residents.
State regulators are trying to figure out how to keep UVM medical students at Vermont hospitals after they graduate.
“I was born and raised in Bethel. I was born here at Gifford, so, I don’t know, it’s just home,” said Grace Hodgdon, an RN who charted a path in rural healthcare at Gifford Hospital in Randolph.
But that’s not the case for other young healthcare workers. Vermont’s only residency program for aspiring physicians, at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine, is in Burlington. Gifford Hospital CEO Michael Costa says that can pose a problem for rural communities like Randolph.
“Not that many people train in a rural environment. All the data shows us that where you train really determines where you actually stay and raise a family and create your practice,” Costa said.
About a third of Vermont’s doctors trained at Larner, according to the Green Mountain Care Board. GMCB Chair Owen Foster wants that number to grow. “We’re paying for Larner, so we need to get the benefits of Larner,” he said.
Gifford is partnering with a new initiative to bring physicians to rural Vermont: the Maple Mountain Vermont Family Medicine Residency Program.
“If we train the doctors in a specific location, there’s a really good chance that they’ll stay there,” said Dr. John King, the program’s founding director.
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| Brattleboro Memorial Hospital promotes its financial consultant to post of interim CEO | |
VTDigger
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has named the former chief financial officer of Windsor’s Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center as its new interim CEO.
David Sanville, who recently has helped the Brattleboro hospital deal with a multimillion-dollar deficit, stepped into his new role at Thursday’s start of the 2027 fiscal year, the facility’s board of directors announced.
“David brings extensive experience in hospital finance and operations, as well as a deep understanding of the challenges facing community hospitals,” board Chair Chloe Learey said in a statement. “He already knows BMH, our people and our community, and we are grateful that he has agreed to take on this important leadership role as we search for a permanent CEO.”
Sanville has worked as a healthcare administrator for more than 30 years, not only at Mt. Ascutney but also at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph and Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin.
He will replace acting co-CEOs Tony Blofson and Elizabeth McLarney, two doctors who have shared the post for the past year and now will serve as senior advisers.
Sanville’s appointment comes after former President Christopher Dougherty exited without explanation in November and former Chief Financial Officer Laura Bruno departed amid similar silence in December.
Acting hospital leaders have blamed recent deficit spending on past administrative and accounting problems.
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| Campaign Countdown: Scott, Janoo offer contrasting plans for Vermont healthcare crisis | |
WCAX
With Election Day just 35 days away, tensions are rising in the race for Vermont governor between Democrat Amanda Janoo and Republican incumbent Phil Scott over how to fix the state’s healthcare crisis. The state is facing a shrinking working-age population footing more of the cost of care, high commercial insurance rates, and several hospitals operating at a deficit.
Democrat Amanda Janoo and Republican Phil Scott agree that healthcare premiums are a big drain on Vermont families, but they bring different approaches to reining in spiraling costs.
“The idea of bringing back small-town doctors and small-town nurses is something that’s very Vermont,” Amanda Janoo said.
She believes the state’s healthcare system needs a shot in the arm and is in favor of universal government-funded primary care, funded by a 3% income tax on some 2,500 households earning over $500,000. Janoo says the idea, which would bring in $110 million annually, is aimed at recouping tax breaks from the Trump administration.
“It’s not that they would lose money materially, but we would be able to provide a universal public benefit to our society and begin to deal with one of the biggest crises we have, which is our healthcare crisis,” Janoo said.
Gov. Scott believes high earners would vote with their feet and claim residence elsewhere. In a recent executive order, the five-term Republican is pushing for regulatory changes to Vermont’s insurance marketplace, allowing for so-called association health plans. Those would allow businesses to band together to buy insurance and change who is in which pool. “We need to find out what works in other states and mimic that,” Gov. Scott said.
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| | Respiratory virus season has arrived. Here’s what to know about flu, Covid-19 and RSV vaccines this fall | |
NBC5
There’s a bit of a chill in the air, pumpkin spice in your coffee and children back to school — which means the threat of respiratory viruses like Covid-19, influenza and RSV is looming.
Some respiratory illnesses have arrived already. Seasonal influenza activity is still low at the national level, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
But certain flu metrics are inching up – especially in the West. Health officials in Washington state’s King County note that since mid-August there has been an increase in people with flu visiting emergency departments in the area.
Related video above | When is the best time to get your flu shot?
Vaccines that help prevent illness and reduce the risk of serious infections and hospitalization are now available, and for some people, this is the right time to roll up their sleeves.
Typically, the CDC launches a fall campaign around this time of year, recommending seasonal immunizations such as the flu shot and Covid-19 vaccines. But after sweeping changes to the agency’s vaccine advisory committee during the second Trump administration and ongoing lawsuits, the CDC recently posted guidance online to follow last year’s recommendations for flu and Covid-19.
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| | Health Talk: This is Fall Prevention Month | |
Rutland Herald
The National Council on Aging has designated September as Fall Prevention Month.
A fall is considered an unexpected or unintentional event in which a person comes to the ground or floor. Falls are common, with more than one in four older adults falling each year. Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury and death in adults ages 65 years and older. Over 48,000 people die from unintentional falls. The good news is that many falls can be prevented.
Falls are multifactorial and can be attributed to medical history, medications, physical health, and environmental risk factors. Because there are multiple reasons why a fall may happen, we have the following recommendations.
Wellness checks
Have regular wellness checks with your physician or provider and communicate honestly about any falls or unsteadiness you have had, or if you have a fear of falling. During your wellness check, mention any decreased sensation in legs and feet. This sensation can make it harder to sense where your feet are or notice changes in the ground.
Medications
Medications can make you feel sleepy, dizzy, or cause changes in blood pressure, which may increase your risk of falling. Have your provider or pharmacist review your medications for any possible adverse side effects.
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