Lola Duffort

Regulators at the Green Mountain Care Board have greenlit a plan for a freestanding multi-specialty surgery center in Hartford, clearing the way for the Upper Valley Surgery Center to open up shop as soon as next year.

Regulators in Vermont approve plan for Upper Valley Surgery Center, offering same-day surgeries and reducing wait times. Opening soon in Hartford.

Pieciak said the discount card program should be available in Vermont by January of 2027, if not earlier. Any Vermonter will be able to sign up, and the card will be free.

Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed Vermont lawmakers' most notable attempt at healthcare reform this year, arguing that it would have unfairly concentrated savings with a minority of Vermonters.

Gov. Phil Scott vetoes Vermont healthcare reform bill, citing unfair concentration of savings. Lawmakers argue for reference-based pricing to control costs.

Wait times are long at University of Vermont Health, as they have been for years . A recent report commissioned by a state-appointed overseer largely blames the problem on low productivity among the network's doctors, and argues wait times also contribute to unnecessarily high prices.

But the two leaders also said they were “committed to exploring every reasonable option” and are in talks with the state about potential alternatives.

The Republican governor’s order mostly touches on ideas he unsuccessfully put before lawmakers in the last legislative session, and much of what he’s proposing would require their eventual approval.

After nearly seven months of negotiations, the University of Vermont Medical Center and the union representing its doctors-in-training have inked their second-ever contract.

“One institution, one organization is not going to be able to solve this problem,” BMH board chair Chloe Leary said Tuesday. “It is a question about whether Vermont — all of Vermont — is willing to find a sustainable way to pay for maternity care.”