Healthcare vs. Education?
Some have questioned me asking why the legislature is focusing on education reform when healthcare costs are so high. Others are saying that education and property taxes are the number one issue. As a favorite boss of mine used to tell me, “It’s not an either or, it’s a yes and.” Healthcare costs have gotten out of control AND our education system is in desperate need of reform. Thus, it's important that we decouple the issues and solve them separately, not blinding ourselves to the problems in each. This is a key first step in any complex multivariable system.
The House has taken up the healthcare problem this session with all seriousness. One bill that has been signed into law by the Governor, H.96, removes barriers and bureaucracy to small healthcare business entry to market by opening the Certificate Of Need (CON) limits. Another bill, H.266, places limits to rein in drug pricing by hospitals andPharmaceutical Benefit Managers (PBM). And the third and most important, S.126, which passed in the House and Senate, is a healthcare pricing reform bill that limits and makes transparent the prices charged to consumers by tying them to ratios of what Medicare pays for them (aka. “reference-based pricing”). I usually adhere to more free market capitalist policy, but given the current state of our healthcare system in VT and the previous two bills I mentioned, I think this is the prudent thing to do to control healthcare costs to the consumer at this point. More structural change will need to be done on this going forward to solve the root cause problems.
Looking at education, there is broad agreement throughout the Legislature and education leaders (including in Addison County) that we need to act to reform the education system and its funding mechanism. I'm seeing too much evidence that Vermont can't survive the status quo for much longer to allow this opportunity to slip away. The specifics of this complex issue, as recorded in H.454, continue to be in negotiation. As the Governor said recently “we must complete the work to transform our education system. I proposed the $77 million transfer in the budget as a bridge to a structurally transformed and fiscally efficient public education system in the near term. We need to follow through on reform.” If the legislature does not achieve those clear goals this coming week, we may be stuck in session for a while!
Meanwhile, I continue to fight for you on many other issues including increased housing, tax relief, and clean water.
This Memorial Day let us remember with solemness and gratitude the sacrifices made for us by our veterans and their families and those fallen fighting for our freedoms.
I remain honored to be your Representative,
Rob North
www.NorthForVTHouse.com
Addison, Ferrisburgh, New Haven, Panton, Vergennes, and Waltham
