On Town Meeting Day, many towns in Addison County will have a chance to weigh in on our health care crisis. Resolutions showing support for universal primary care as proposed in H.433 are on the ballots or will be voted on at the in-person meetings in Middlebury, Bristol, Salisbury, Weybridge, Cornwall and Brandon.
These resolutions deserve your support. The urgency is greater than ever. In just the first two weeks of this year, Vermonters have already dropped their health care plans at five times last year’s rate of disenrollment. This is due to the end of federal subsidies to purchase insurance on the Exchange combined with the rapidly increasing premium costs that have plagued us for so many years.
In addition, our last official survey shows that over 187,000 Vermonters are underinsured. These people often avoid care because deductibles and co-payments make them reluctant or unable to use the insurance for which they have already paid. What does this mean? It means that their health worsens without treatment and they end up in the Emergency Room where the cost of treatment is ten times more expensive. Indeed, the 2024 Oliver Wyman report commissioned for the Green Mountain Care Board predicted $300 million in hospital savings from expanded primary care.
Healthcare costs are also a major factor behind our rising education costs and the corresponding increases in property taxes.
Universal primary care would be a major step in addressing this problem. Making primary care a public good will also reduce our premiums (since insurers cannot charge for services they no longer pay out for). Countries which have an accessible and universal primary care network have better health outcomes at much lower costs.
Primary care should be a public good. This will save money and save lives. Let’s support these resolutions on Town Meeting day and send a message to our legislators.
Ellen Oxfeld
Middlebury