Green Mountain Care Board

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury will close its occupational medicine office in October. It's the latest provider in the state to announce service closures in an effort to cut health care costs.

MVP Health Care proposed raising rates on Vermont Health Connect by just under 3%. Proposed increases from BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont are much higher — about 15% for individuals and 7% for small businesses.

While the state scrambles to cut health care costs as fast as possible, providers worry about the future of maternal health care in Vermont.

That should translate to some relief for how much individuals and employers pay for health insurance premiums.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington is set to build a new 12-bed psychiatric unit for adolescents. This comes as state health officials say they're seeing an increase of youth with symptoms of mental illness that require inpatient care.

Owen Foster, the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, warns of steep insurance rate increases and service cuts.

After going over budget by more than $100 million over two years, UVM Medical Center has put forward a compromise to state regulators.

An exception is the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, which made over $60 million providing patient care last year.

The hospital system has said dialysis clinics in St. Albans, Rutland and Newport will remain open as they look for alternative providers. At Central Vermont Medical Center, hospital leaders plan to close the in-patient psych unit, and they'll consolidate several community clinics.

The health network announced a range of planned cuts, including closing an inpatient psychiatric unit, ending operation of kidney dialysis centers, and admitting fewer patients for overnight hospital care.