Molly Gray: Vermonters Deserve Universal Primary Care

May 15, 2026  |  By Molly Gray

On April 30, I joined former Gov. Howard Dean and dozens of Vermonters in testifying before the Vermont Legislature in support of Universal Primary Care.

I addressed the Legislature as a Vermont taxpayer, a mom, a caregiver to my mom, and as a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Right now, healthcare costs are bankrupting Vermont families, crushing employers, and driving up education costs. Vermonters are paying more and getting less — especially in rural communities where access to primary care is disappearing.

Last month, I met with members of the Hartford Fire Department. One of their largest expenses and most frequent calls for emergency services is to transport patients to the emergency room for health issues that would otherwise be addressed through primary care.

At a recent school board meeting at Harwood Union Middle and High School, the district shared that health insurance premiums rose more than 35% over the last three years. These premiums have become the largest driver of education spending and, in turn, property taxes.

But closing schools and consolidating districts does not address healthcare costs and does little to truly stabilize property taxes, which fall most heavily on working Vermonters. To put it bluntly: not only is Vermont placing a failing system on the backs of our children, but it is also failing to deliver basic care.

We know investments in primary and preventive care are practical and lower costs.

Consider Dr. Dynasaur, which permitted my brothers and me to have access to healthcare as kids: For more than 30 years, Vermont children under age 19, as well as people during and after pregnancy, have been eligible for low-cost or free health coverage. This has kept kids and new parents healthy and prevented emergency room visits, which are costly for both patients and hospitals.

Consider the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UVM, where preventive care for Vermonters experiencing chronic pain includes conventional and complementary treatment with an emphasis on the whole person. Patients have experienced a 70% decrease in emergency room visits.

And consider what is happening in my hometown of Newbury, where Little Rivers Health Care, whose mission is “Affordable Care for All,” has adapted its practice to meet patients in rural areas where they are. They conduct home visits, so Vermonters like my mom can access quality primary care when a trip to the clinic is physically hard, or some days, impossible.

We have tremendous talent across Vermont ready to act, and it’s time to act. It’s time to urgently develop a universal primary care plan for Vermont, inclusive of a plan for financing and staffing, and a timeline for deployment.

Vermonters can no longer afford downstream, Band-Aid solutions to our healthcare crisis. We need to make strategic, targeted public investments that provide meaningful relief and promote public health.

We can do this by aligning our state budget with this priority, and consider increasing the tax on second homes as well as on our highest income earners for this specific, targeted, and time-bound investment purpose.

I welcome every opportunity to work with our municipalities, the Vermont Legislature, the governor, and our dedicated health professionals in the months and years ahead to advance this critical effort. 

Universal primary care is how we truly bring down costs in Vermont while delivering on a basic human right — healthcare.

Molly Gray is a Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor. She has served as executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance,  2023-26, Vermont Lt. Governor, 2021-23, and as an Assistant Attorney General, 2018-20.