Last month, Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) reported that nine of Vermont’s 14 hospitals had negative operating margins in fiscal year 2023. According to the report, “Hospitals reported significant pressures related to staffing (contract labor and salaries/benefits) and inflationary pressure on both general and medical expenses.”
Additionally, GMCB underscored in its press release, “Vermonters are experiencing significant annual increases in health insurance premiums.”
“Vermont’s healthcare system is strained, and Vermonters cannot afford annual double-digit increases in their healthcare costs,” said Owen Foster, Chair of GMCB, in a statement.
On July 17, 60 people attended a hearing in Brattleboro on the Vermont healthcare system. A hired consultant concluded that unless action is taken to transform Vermont’s healthcare system, it will be financially unsustainable by 2030, reported The Commons Robert F. Smith on July 23.
“We look to achieve a health system for Vermont that meets the care needs of our communities and acknowledges the important role hospitals play in our local economies while addressing the issue of unsustainable healthcare cost growth,” said Jenney Samuelson, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, in a statement.
