Vermont board cuts hospital funding, stalls $130M surgery center
The Green Mountain Care Board, Vermont’s health‑budget authority, denied about $94.5 million in revenue that state hospitals had proposed for fiscal year 2026, with most of the reduction aimed at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Regulators have accused the UVM Health network of diverting Vermont health dollars to its New York facilities and have urged the system to cut administrative salaries, executive pay and travel staff before trimming patient services.
In 2024 the University of Vermont Medical Center abandoned plans for a $130 million outpatient surgical center after the board approved only a fraction of the revenue growth the hospital had requested. The shelved center was intended to replace aging operating rooms and increase surgical capacity for Vermonters. Legislation known as Act 68 is set to shift Vermont toward fixed, global hospital budgets, first for larger hospitals and eventually for all, a model critics warn could result in closed beds, reduced service lines, out‑of‑state transfers and longer wait times.
Entities
Act 68 · Green Mountain Care Board · UVM Health network · University of Vermont Medical Center · Vermont
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] In 2024, UVM Medical Center shelved a planned $130 million outpatient surgical center after the board approved only a fraction of the revenue growth it requested. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Most of the denied revenue was aimed at the University of Vermont Medical Center. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Green Mountain Care Board denied $94.5 million in revenue proposed by Vermont hospitals for fiscal year 2026. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The shelved surgical center was intended to replace aging operating rooms and expand surgical capacity for Vermonters. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The board urged the UVM Health network to cut administration, executive pay and traveling staff before affecting patient services. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Act 68 will push Vermont toward global hospital budgets with fixed annual spending targets, first for larger hospitals and eventually for all hospitals. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Regulators accused the UVM Health network of shipping Vermont healthcare dollars to New York to cover losses at its New York hospitals. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The shift to global budgets could lead to closed beds, dropped service lines, out‑of‑state transfers and longer wait times. www.hcnews.com · pontevedrarecorder.com · republicmonitor.com