Vermont H 545: An act relating to approval of an amendment to the charter of the City of South Burlington

Bill Text

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No. 76. An act relating to issuing immunization recommendations.
(H.545)
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
* * * Effective on Passage until July 1, 2031: Commissioner of Health’s
Immunization Recommendations * * *
Sec. 1. 18 V.S.A. § 1130 is amended to read:
§ 1130. IMMUNIZATION FUNDING
(a) As used in this section:
* * *
(4) “Immunizations Recommended immunization” means vaccines a
vaccine or other immunizing agent that provides protection against a particular
disease or pathogen and the application of the vaccines immunization as
recommended by the practice guidelines for children and adults established by
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Commissioner pursuant to section
1130a of this title.
* * *
(b)(1) The Department of Health shall administer an immunization
program with the goals of ensuring universal access to vaccines recommended
immunizations for all Vermonters at no charge to the individual and reducing
the cost at which the State may purchase vaccines recommended
immunizations. The Department shall purchase, provide for the distribution of,

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and monitor the use of vaccines recommended immunizations as provided for
in this subsection and subsection (c) of this section. The cost of the vaccines
recommended immunizations and an administrative surcharge shall be
reimbursed by health insurers as provided for in subsections (e) and (f) of this
section.
(2) The Department shall solicit, facilitate, and supervise the
participation of health care professionals, health care facilities, and health
insurers in the immunization program in order to accomplish the State’s goal
of universal access to recommended immunizations at the lowest practicable
cost to individuals, insurers, and State health care programs.
(3) The Department shall gather and analyze data regarding the
immunization program for the purpose of ensuring its quality and maximizing
protection of Vermonters against diseases preventable by vaccination
immunization.
(c) The Department shall determine which recommended immunizations
shall be purchased under the program. The immunization program shall
purchase vaccines recommended immunizations consistent with the goals of
the program from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or
another vendor at the lowest available cost. The Department shall determine
annually which vaccines for adults shall be purchased under the program.

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(d) The immunization program shall provide for distribution of the
vaccines recommended immunizations to health care professionals and health
care facilities for administration to patients.
(e) Health insurers shall remit to the Department the cost of vaccines
recommended immunizations, as established by the Commissioner of Health
based on the recommendation of the Immunization Funding Advisory
Committee established in subsection (g) of this section.
(f) The Department shall charge each health insurer a surcharge for the
costs and administration of the immunization program. The surcharge shall be
deposited into an existing special fund and used solely for the purpose of
administering the program.
(g)(1) The Immunization Funding Advisory Committee is established to
provide the Commissioner of Health with an annual per-member per-month
cost for vaccines recommended immunizations for the pediatric population, an
annual per-member per-month cost for vaccines recommended immunizations
for the adult population, and a recommendation for the amount of the yearly
vaccine immunization assessment. The Committee shall comprise the
following nine members:
(A) the Executive Officer of the Board of Pharmacy or designee;
(B) the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Care Board or
designee;

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(C) a representative, appointed by the Director of the Vermont
Blueprint for Health, nominated by the Director of the Blueprint and appointed
by the Commissioner of Health;
(D) three representatives of health insurers, one from each of each
appointed by the State’s largest three private health insurers, as determined by
the number of covered lives, appointed by the Commissioner of Health;
(E) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the
American Academy of Pediatrics, Vermont chapter, appointed by the
Commissioner of Health;
(F) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the
American Academy of Family Medicine, Vermont chapter, appointed by the
Commissioner of Health; and
(G) a representative of employers that self-insure for health coverage,
appointed by the Commissioner of Health.
(2) The Committee shall select a chair from among its members at the
first meeting of each calendar year. The Committee shall receive
administrative and technical support from the Department of H