This commentary is by Dr. Deborah Richter, M.D., a practicing family physician in Cambridge, Vt. She lives in Montpelier.
Legislative leaders have already laid out their agenda for this session. Despite the dire state of health care for the almost half of Vermonters under age 65 who are “underinsured,” it is clear that they have no intention of doing anything meaningful to address the state’s health care crisis.
Underinsured is an abstract idea that is easy to dismiss, but it has serious, potentially deadly real-life consequences. The underinsured have two alternatives when they are sick:
- Delay care and risk their health.
- Pay for care and risk falling into debt, getting evicted, etc.
Delaying care can cost them dearly. Two examples: continue reading