Policy Goals for 2027
1. Expand access to essential health care services
- Stabilize rates and distribution of obstetric services (see more)
- Increase investment in primary care practices and embedded mental health and social determinants of health supports
- Protect Vermont's historically high rates of insurance coverage (97% of Vermonters have health insurance, according to the state data)
- Advocate for health system regulation that reduces costs using tools and at a pace that preserves rural access to care and clinician well-being (see more)
2. Reduce administrative burden
- Build on prior authorization reductions and enhance consistency between insurance carriers
- Allow physician assistants to sign the initial form for an emergency mental health hold in a hospital setting
- Ensure artificial intelligence regulations allow for streamlining of clinician work while protecting patient data
3. Strengthen the health care workforce
- Expand investment in pipeline programs, including scholarships, loan repayment, undergraduate and graduate medical education
4. Safeguard public health
- Protect access to evidence-based medicine including vaccines, reproductive health services and gender-affirming care
- Remain a leader in regulating tobacco, cannabis and other potentially harmful substances and consumer products
What have we accomplished in the past year?
See all the bills that VMS tracked, testified on, and helped shape in 2026. These include:
- A one-time boost of $3.7 million to primary care, supporting higher Medicaid reimbursement rates
- Protections against civil arrests when visiting or returning from health care facilities
- A prohibition of non-compete clauses in health care employment contracts
- Clinicians are allowed to record telehealth visits with patient consent, enabling the use of AI transcription services
- The state can issue its own immunization recommendations, independent of federal guidelines
- Insurers must pay the same amount for Blueprint primary care programs
What about universal primary care?
The Vermont Medical Society supports universal access to comprehensive, affordable, high-quality health care. We believe increasing investments in primary care, reducing administrative burden, and implementing public health interventions that address the social determinants of health are the most efficient ways to increase patient access. We have concerns about implementing a separate payment system that funds only one category of health care services and requires new administrative infrastructure, as state lawmakers have proposed in prior years. We hope to avoid additional fragmentation of health care coverage.