Healthcare

I practically grew up in hospitals. My dad was a doctor– a radiologist. And my mom suffered from lymphoma for much of my childhood and passed away when I was 7. My dad went on to work for Roswell Park Cancer Institute, hoping to save other kids’ moms from the same fate. 

Because of them, healthcare isn't just a policy platform for me—it's personal.

I’ve knocked on over 3,100 doors across this district. You would not believe how many heartbreaking, frustrating, and resilient stories I have heard about our medical system from our neighbors:

  • A man who had to pay for an entire ankle surgery completely out of pocket.

  • A young professional in Burlington who had to drop their health insurance entirely after losing their ACA subsidies because they could no longer afford the premiums.

  • A health provider struggling to compete with the massive insurance reimbursements given to larger institutions, barely able to afford health coverage for their own staff.

  • A dedicated UVMMC nurse who is overworked, exhausted, and feeling entirely unappreciated.

  • A UVMMC staffer terrified their job will be cut, and a C-suite executive genuinely distraught over hospital revenue losses.

Our health insurance system is broken, but filled with good people who want to, and can, take care of each other. I’ve known that my entire life. My dad literally wrote the book on how hospitals and independent providers can collaborate better to keep down costs. He was beloved by the hospital employees throughout the institution, and his patients, because he approached every challenge with curiosity and good faith partnership. I aim to continue his life’s work, if elected. 

I’d love for you to hear the deeper conversation we’ve been having on this. On my podcast, There’s No “A” in Creemee, we just wrapped up a healthcare series featuring interviews withUVMMC President Dr. Steve Leffler,Green Mountain Care Board Chair Owen Foster, andindependent provider Alex LeClair.

 Our healthcare challenges in Vermont have gotten worse over the past ten years, not better. It’s time for real change. On this campaign, we are actively talking about concrete solutions:

👉 Vermont Insurance Subsidies: To ensure every single Vermonter can access and afford health coverage. 

👉 Vermont Healthcare Spending Accounts: Providing every Vermonter with baseline support to see a doctor or get basic care (similar to an FSA or a healthcare UBI). 

👉 Site-Neutral Billing: Leveling the playing field so independent providers can stay in the market, compete fairly with hospitals, and drive down costs for patients. 

👉 Management & Admin Supports: Streamlining systems so doctors have the time they need for both patient appointments and correspondence.

To fund these critical expansions and shore up our healthcare economy, it is time we recaptured the Trump tax cuts given to the top 1% of earners and redirected that revenue right here to Vermont to support patients.

Our campaign has built a massive coalition to get this done. We have supporters who are UVMMC executives, union leaders, Green Mountain Care Board staff, frontline nurses, independent providers, and of course many many patients.

I know we can do better on supporting patients and providers to bring down the cost of healthcare for Vermonters. We have to. And I watched my dad do it. Now, it’s my turn to fight for it.