08/16/2026
Time for a change, vote Republican in November!
Every Vermonter deserves access to high-quality, affordable healthcare close to home. Yet rising insurance premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs have become one of the greatest affordability challenges facing Vermonters. Families, employers, and small businesses are paying more, while rural communities face additional challenges from provider shortages and limited access to care. Recently, two birthing centers were forced to close.
It didn’t have to be this way.
In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the goal of making health insurance more affordable and accessible while protecting patients. Since then, 48 states across the country have found ways to make the ACA work for their residents. Vermont, unfortunately, chose a different path.
In 2011, Vermont Democrats passed Act 48, creating the Green Mountain Care Board and setting the state on a path toward a government-directed, universal healthcare system. Thankfully, Governor Peter Shumlin abandoned the plan in 2014 when its enormous costs became clear. But the policies adopted under Act 48 had already taken a toll. Competition diminished, regulatory burdens increased, and insurers became less willing to serve Vermont’s small and challenging market.
For years, Vermont has continued moving toward a highly regulated, one-size-fits-all healthcare system that limits competition and consumer choice. The results speak for themselves: Vermont now suffers from the highest healthcare and health insurance costs in the country.
We need a different approach.
We will pursue policies that increase competition, expand consumer choice, and lower the cost of health insurance without sacrificing quality or the patient protections provided by the ACA. Health insurers should have greater flexibility to offer innovative, affordable plans that meet the diverse needs of Vermont families, individuals, and employers.
More choices and greater competition can give Vermonters the ability to select coverage that fits their healthcare needs and household budgets while putting downward pressure on premiums and other costs.
Affordable healthcare is also essential to Vermont’s economic future. Businesses consistently identify healthcare costs as a major barrier to growth and workforce recruitment. Lower insurance costs will help attract new residents, retain young workers, support small businesses, and make it easier for Vermont employers to compete.
Healthcare decisions should be made as close to patients as possible. Vermont’s hospitals, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals understand their communities far better than distant regulators. We should trust local providers to determine which services their communities need and how those services can be delivered most effectively.
Protecting rural healthcare must remain a priority. We will work to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, strengthen healthcare workforce recruitment and retention, and improve the long-term financial stability of community hospitals, rural health centers, and independent medical practices.
