Vermont hospitals have received more than $ 301 million in state and federal assistance since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020, new data from the Vermont Human Services Agency show. ..
Human Services Agency data reflects funding from three sources:
- The largest amount of $ 184 million comes directly from the US Department of Health and Human Services for Covid-19 care, vaccination, and testing.
- Eight of the state’s 14 nonprofit hospitals also received a one-time grant from the state totaling $ 105 million.
- Eight hospitals received more than $ 12 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deal with the medical staff crisis.
The infusion of funds from the Trump and Biden administrations helped hospitals deal with the losses caused by delaying surgery and other non-urgent care. The hospital also used the money to test, immunize, and pay for other Covid-19 activities.
Most of the taxpayer’s money (about 60%) went to the University of Vermont Health Network, the state’s largest hospital operator. That’s about $ 180 million at three hospitals: the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, and Porter Hospital in Middlebury.
Burlington and Berlin hospitals recently state to raise service prices in the middle of the year after network leaders claimed that temporary federal payments could not compensate for continued inflation and labor costs. I got a green light from the regulator.
Network executives argued that the only way to balance the budget with the current service pricing system is to raise the prices of private insurance companies and their subscribers.
Annie McKin, a spokesperson for the University of Vermont, said Wednesday for Covid-19 activities such as offsetting losses due to surgery cancellations and delays, launching a vaccine clinic, and purchasing protective equipment on behalf of the state. Said that the network ran out of federal funds.
“We are facing new challenges in the form of cost inflation that has not been seen since the 1980s and we need to stabilize our work so that we can move forward to meet the needs of future patients. There is, “she said in a statement. “Federal COVID-19 aid cannot play that role because it was intended to help hospital losses during a pandemic.”
Since the medical network is a huge fish in the ocean of a much smaller hospital, rising prices will have a serious impact on Vermont’s medical costs.
The network demanded an increase in rates for Burlington and Berlin hospitals by $ 44 million, but last week the Green Mountain Care Board only allowed up to $ 14 million. Network leaders have already indicated that they are demanding a further increase in next year’s budget cycle starting this summer.
State regulators rejected a similar 9% mid-term request from the Rutland Regional Medical Center, but suggested that they would consider a significant hospital price increase during the budget season.
Regulators have pointed out that other hospitals may demand significant budget increases for similar reasons.
So far, raising service charges seems to be the only way for hospitals. The $ 10 billion Covid aid bill that has passed Congress is stalled in the debate on immigration policy.
In a letter to Careboard earlier this month, Human Services Agency Secretary-General Jenny Samuelson hinted that the state has no plans for additional Covid aid to hospitals at this time.
This means that some Vermont residents will pay Covid in multiple ways through the taxes they have already received and the soaring health insurance premiums next year.
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