The Bristol Town Democratic Committee sponsored State Auditor Doug Hoffer’s March 10 presentation outlined here After hearing from Hoffer, the Bristol committee adopted this resolution on Vermont healthcare on March 20:

The Bristol Town Democratic Committee requests that the Vermont Democratic Party prioritize efforts to address the alarming increasing health care costs in Vermont.

On March 10, the Bristol Democratic Committee organized a special conversation with Doug Hoffer on Vermont Healthcare costs.

1. Health care costs in Vermont during the last two decades have consistently outpaced growth in household income.

* The increase in per capita spending by Vermonters between 2000 and 2018 is highest for healthcare (167%), compared to housing (104%), fuel (36%), and electricity 43%.

* Median hourly wages have increased a meager 61% in the last 20 years, while hospital revenues have increased an astounding 214%.

2. It seems there is a total lack of controlling health care costs in Vermont.

* The State Auditor obtained price data from 11 hospitals which found that the cost of CT scans of the chest ranges from 473 USD to 2,738 USD and an echo, an ultrasound of the heart, ranges from 310 to 2,880 USD.

We would like the Green Mountain Care Board, the governor, and the state legislature to better regulate health care costs in order to reduce the burden on families and businesses.

18 V.S.A. § 9371, “The State of Vermont must ensure universal access to and coverage for high-quality, medically necessary health services for all Vermonters. Systemic barriers, such as cost, must not prevent people from accessing necessary health care. All Vermonters must receive affordable and appropriate healthcare at the appropriate time in the appropriate setting.”

The Vermont Democratic Party’s Platform states we should “establish healthcare as a human right by achieving universal, comprehensive, accessible and affordable health care for all…”

Therefore, the Bristol Town Democratic Committee requests that the Vermont Democratic Party address this key issue moving forward by supporting legislation similar to H276, which would phase in publicly financed universal healthcare.