Vermont H 580: An act relating to a grant program for adaptive sports and mobility-enhancing equipment

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.580
2026 Page 1 of 3

VT LEG #385831 v.1
H.580 1
SHORT FORM 2
Introduced by Representative Kleppner of Burlington 3
Referred to Committee on 4
Date: 5
Subject: Health; health insurance; public employees; State employees; school 6
employees; municipal employees; health care costs 7
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to make all 8
public employees who are eligible to receive health benefits through their 9
employment, including current and retired State employees, school employees, 10
municipal employees, and employees of the University of Vermont and the 11
Vermont State Colleges, eligible for coverage through the State employees’ 12
health plan, which would become the public employees’ health plan. It would 13
establish the independent Commission on Public Employee Health Benefits to 14
determine the design of the health benefit plan and the respective percentages 15
of plan premiums that will be borne by the public employers and by the 16
participating public employees. The bill would also remove health care from 17
the matters subject to collective bargaining between public employers and 18
public employees. 19
The bill proposes to move the costs of insurance for current and retired 20
school employees out of the Education Fund, and the costs of insurance for 21

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.580
2026 Page 2 of 3

VT LEG #385831 v.1
other current and retired public employees out of each individual agency’s 1
budget, and instead to reflect all of these insurance costs in the budget for the 2
public employees’ health plan. The bill would require the Governor’s 3
proposed budget for each fiscal year to include as a separate line item the 4
recommended appropriation amount for public employee health benefits to be 5
provided through the public employees’ health plan. The bill would direct the 6
Secretary of Administration to provide information about the public 7
employees’ health plan annually as part of the Agency of Administration’s 8
budget presentation, including information regarding the estimated total cost of 9
the plan for the upcoming fiscal year; the costs of the plan to date for the 10
current fiscal year and the estimated total cost over that full fiscal year; the 11
percentage change in the total cost of the plan year over year; the number of 12
covered lives in the plan during each of the previous two plan years, during the 13
current plan year, and as estimated for the upcoming plan year; the cost per 14
covered life in the plan during each of the previous two plan years, during the 15
current plan year, and as estimated for the upcoming plan year; and the 16
percentage change in the cost per covered life in the plan year over year. The 17
bill would also require the Governor’s proposed budget for each fiscal year to 18
include as a separate line item the recommended appropriation amount for the 19
Medicaid program in the same section of the budget as the amount for the 20
public employees’ health plan or in an adjacent section so that all budget 21

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.580
2026 Page 3 of 3

VT LEG #385831 v.1
provisions related to State costs for health care services can be viewed 1
together. Additional State health care expenditures to be included and reported 2
in the same or an adjacent section of the budget would include the 3
appropriations for VPharm, the Medicare Savings Programs, Dr. Dynasaur, 4
premium and cost-sharing assistance for eligible individuals enrolled in 5
qualified health benefit plans, and Dr. Dynasaur-like coverage for eligible 6
immigrant populations. 7
The bill would direct the Green Mountain Care Board and the Agency of 8
Human Services to provide certain information about costs and expenditures 9
for health insurance, public health benefit programs, and health care goods and 10
services by and on behalf of Vermonters annually as part of the Board’s and 11
Agency’s respective budget presentations, including total costs and 12
expenditures; costs and expenditures per covered life; cost and expenditure 13
trends over time; and costs borne by the State, by the federal government, and 14
by Vermont households. 15
An act relating to public employee health benefits and State health care cost 16
transparency 17
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 18
(TEXT OMITTED IN SHORT-FORM BILLS) 19