MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Voters in at least eight Vermont towns will decide Saturday on a non-binding referendum to urge the Legislature to take up a bill exploring a universal primary care system funded by public tax dollars. Backers of the measure say rising health care costs and federal cuts to state Medicaid make the push timely.
Middlebury pediatrician Jack Mayer, who helped spearhead the effort, said access to care has shrunk over his career while costs have climbed.
“Health care is a human right. It’s like water, it’s like roads, it’s like public education. and we should be funding it in the same way,” he said.
Rep. Brian Cina, P-Burlington, said the proposed bill would benefit both providers and patients. “By establishing universal primary care, we could guarantee an income to our primary care providers, while guaranteeing primary care to patients,” he said.
Vermont attempted a statewide single-payer system under Gov. Peter Shumlin, but he abandoned the effort in 2014 after Vermonters saw the cost of shifting from private premiums to an 11% payroll tax.
Shumlin says the current moment is different. “Where I got in trouble is thinking we could change the system quickly; You can’t,” he said.
He added that any return to single payer would require cooperation between the state and federal government, and that the Trump administration and GOP-controlled Congress are unlikely to support the effort.
Shumlin said he expects the non-binding measures to pass. “Our future is bright. The message in town meeting, I hope, will be overwhelming. We’re frustrated, we want change, we’ve got to have change. I think that’s frankly our best hope right now,” he said.
The universal primary care bill faces a crossover deadline the week after Town Meeting Day, making passage this session unlikely.
Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.