Dear JOHN,

Last week, Governor Howard Dean endorsed Molly for lieutenant governor as well as her plan and public support for universal primary care in Vermont. Both Molly and Governor Dean testified before the Vermont legislature last week. You can read Molly’s testimony below.

Governor Dean helped expand Dr. Dynasaur so more Vermont kids could access healthcare. Now, he’s backing Molly because he knows Vermont needs bold leaders committed to making strategic, public investments that actually lower costs for all Vermonters.

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.

For Molly, this issue is personal. She grew up with Dr. Dynasaur, is raising a young family, and helps care for her mother who battles multiple sclerosis. That’s why she’s fighting to ensure every Vermonter has access to primary care regardless of age, income, or zip code.

Governor Dean’s public support is the latest in a growing coalition behind this campaign. Molly has earned support from over 90 current and former Democratic and Progressive leaders across Vermont.

This campaign is about delivering real solutions for Vermonters, and this is just one of the ways Molly will do it. Thank you for being part of this team.

Team Molly

Molly Gray
Public Hearing Testimony
Vermont House Committee on Health Care 
April 30, 2026

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on access to primary care in Vermont. I am here today as a taxpayer, a mom, a caregiver to my mom, and as a candidate for lieutenant governor.

Over the last several months, I’ve heard from hundreds of Vermonters about the cost of living, health care, and education spending. I’m here to amplify those concerns and explain why I strongly support universal primary care.

Earlier this month, I met with the Hartford Professional Fire Fighters. One of the largest expenses and most frequent calls for emergency services is transporting 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. As this Committee knows, these premiums have become the largest driver of education spending and, in turn, property taxes.

But closing schools and consolidating districts does not address health care 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 also failing to deliver on a basic human right.

We know investments in primary and preventive care work.

Consider Dr. Dynasaur: For more than 30 years, Vermont children under age 19, as well as pregnant people during and after pregnancy, have been eligible for low-cost or free health coverage. This has kept kids and new parents healthy and out of the emergency rooms.
Consider the Osher Center for Integrative Health, 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 South Newbury where Little Rivers Health Care, whose mission is “Affordable Care for All,” has adapted its practice to meet patients where they are. They conduct home visits, so Vermonters like my mom can access quality care when a trip to the clinic is physically hard.

I don’t have all the answers, but I know we have tremendous talent in this room and across Vermont ready to act.

I encourage the Committee to propose that the Legislature establish an emergency task force mandated to urgently develop a universal primary care plan for Vermont, inclusive of funding and workforce needs, and a timeline for deployment.

I will welcome every opportunity to work with this Committee and the Legislature, in the months and years ahead, on this effort. 

Thank you for your leadership and for the opportunity to speak today.