Creating a Framework to Help Vermont Curb Rising Drug Prices

January 2025 – Addressing the escalating costs of prescription drugs is a key focus of many states as they work to increase access to care while reducing its financial burden. On January 15, Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) continued the state’s work in this area, releasing a preliminary report to the state legislature on implementing a new program to regulate the cost of prescription drugs. Vermont joins several other states – including Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington – that have taken similar steps to curb the growing cost of pharmaceuticals.

Onpoint is supporting the GMCB – an independent panel appointed to provide unbiased information and regulate key areas of Vermont’s healthcare system in service to the public interest – in this important work alongside Horvath Health Policy, a consulting firm with extensive experience in prescription drug policy. This initial report provides a review of existing efforts in other states, a discussion of potential avenues for reform in Vermont, challenges that the GMCB could face in implementing these reforms, and a recap of existing efforts and regulatory authority within the state. 

With support from Onpoint’s analytics team, the GMCB next will identify the most promising approaches for reducing prescription drug costs in Vermont. This includes estimating the potential impacts of any proposed reforms on Vermont’s healthcare system – including care providers, health plans, and state agencies – and on Vermonters’ access to life-saving medications and other prescription drugs. These analyses will draw on data from the state’s all-payer claims database, which Onpoint has managed on the state’s behalf since 2008; the Vermont Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set; and other sources.

We are proud to support this initiative and are looking forward to continuing this exciting work with our partners at the GMCB and Horvath Health Policy to find the best solutions for Vermont. Following the release of the GMCB’s preliminary report, a full report and final plan will be delivered to the legislature by next January.

For more on state-level efforts to regulate prescription drug prices, please see this tracker from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP).

For additional information about Onpoint’s analytic services, please reach out to us at information@onpointhealthdata.org.