Dear Legislators:
I appreciate the good work of the Treasurer and legislators to provide relief for those saddled with medical debt they cannot afford to repay. However, I would be remiss if I did not point out a few of my concerns. First, we should recognize much of this debt has already been written off by healthcare providers as uncollectable and built into higher rates for ratepayers.
Second, with a looming healthcare crisis and our growing crisis of affordability in Vermont, we should anticipate this debt financing program to grow which raises significant concerns about future appropriations and where the funding will come from.
Finally, now that we have created this million-dollar program, we may be disincentivizing repayment because of a misperception that “the State” will eventually pay for it.
Again, I very much appreciate the intent and immediate benefits of S.27 to Vermonters, but we will need to manage this program effectively and pair it with real reforms.