State health care regulator attempts to rein in hospital budgets as costs balloon

Vermont’s independent health care regulator, the Green Mountain Care Board, is considering a set of recommendations that would place tighter guardrails on expenses run rampant across the University of Vermont Health Network. The board’s staff presented the recommendations at its Wednesday meeting, a precursor to the board’s annual hospital budget decisions due Sept. 15.

New laws passed this legislative session bolstered the care board’s ability to specifically tackle compensation for health care executives and the structure of network health operations , like UVM Health Network. Gov. Phil Scott, who signed these laws, released a statement Thursday commending the care board’s efforts to lower the overall cost of health care in the state.

“In recent years, GMCB regulatory review has id