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November 7, 2025
- morrowforvt
- Jul 22
- 4 min read
Hello friends,
Lots going with Education and Health Care! This will mostly be an informational communication, although I can’t resist a little editorializing…
Education – your input is needed!
The first impact of the education reform bill from last session is for a Redistricting Task Force to create up to three district/supervisory union maps for the legislature to consider in January. This map will be the basis for all further reform, so it is important. This was originally slated to take one and a half years, but the Governor pushed hard for it to be done in 5 months to get it voted on in January. Unfortunately, that is proving to be a very difficult timetable given all the complexities, the poor data available from the Agency of Education (don’t get me started on this topic), and the heavy anti-independent school bias of some of the task force members. I have been engaged in a heated and difficult behind the scenes debate with members of the task force and house leadership. A report is due out from the task force December 1.
If you want to dig into this or participate, here is more information:
The next task force meeting is this Monday, November 10th. Here is a link to the task force website where you can read all about the various proposals and see previous meetings. https://aoa.vermont.gov/school-district-redistricting-task-force
Here is the agenda for Monday. Public Comment is at 2:45 – PLEASE participate! https://aoa.vermont.gov/sites/aoa/files/10-11-2025%20AGENDA_0.pdf
Here is the email for written comments: ADM.Redistricting@vermont.gov
Here is a very informative, accurate and well-reasoned letter from the Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union to the task force. A short clip: “As a Supervisory Union that operates a successful and efficient rural, choice-based system, we find these documents and the inaccuracies which they contain to be deeply concerning. We wholeheartedly reject the notion that public schools and private schools must share an adversarial relationship.” This letter covers the majority of the points I have been making with them as well. This can inform your public comments: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PaRxrabmRNr_DMRvFa5HB2u51GAnLvLr/view
There is some good news. One of the proposals (CTE Base Map) keeps our towns together and doesn’t ruin school choice. Here is that map:
Health Care –
Today I will just be providing information related to the many changes due to federal action or industry dynamics.
First of all, Vermont has a Health Care Advocate that does great work! Please reach out to them for clarification and help with any of this. Here is the website: https://vtlawhelp.org/health and here is their phone number: 1-800-917-7787. They are there for you, so don’t be shy.
2026 Medicare Advantage Changes:
Most Medicare Advantage Plans (MA) in Vermont end on December 31st, 2025. Vermonters losing their MA Plans will return to Original Medicare (Parts A & B) on January 1st, 2026, and will need to enroll separately in a Part D plan for drug coverage. Sign up for a Part D Plan before December 31st to get a January 1st start date for your prescription coverage. Act as soon as possible to avoid a gap in coverage. The last day to sign up for a Part D plan through your Special Enrollment Period is February 28th.
Only Humana will offer MA Plans in five counties: Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Windham, and Windsor. If you have an MA Plan through a current or former employer check with them to see if there are any changes for 2026.
See if you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program to help lower Medicare costs. Learn more about this program here. Medigap plans are a good option for those who do not qualify for a Medicare Savings Program called QMB. Medigap plans help cover costs not paid by Parts A & B (like deductibles & coinsurance). If your Advantage plan is ending, you qualify for Guaranteed Issue Rights for most Medigap plans (Except Plan N).
2026 Vermont Health Connect Open Enrollment:
The cost of health insurance on Vermont Health Connect is going up for many Vermonters in 2026, but there are steps you can take to reduce costs and find health care that will work for you. Take action during the Vermont Health Connect Open Enrollment Period to find an insurance plan that will meet your health care and financial needs.
Vermont Health Connect Open Enrollment runs from November 1st to January 15th. Visit healthconnect.vermont.gov to apply for health insurance or update your income information and compare plans.
2026 Changes:
BCBSVT plans are more expensive than MVP.
Expanded Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC) are set to expire at the end of 2025. Unless the federal government takes action. Vermonters with incomes over 400% FPL will no longer qualify for financial help for their monthly health insurance premium.
If you receive too much APTC you will have to pay it back at tax time. This is very important in 2026 because there is no longer a limit for APTC you must pay back to the IRS if you get too much.
Take Action:
Update your income during the Open Enrollment Period and report changes throughout the year.
Use the Vermont Health Connect Tool to compare plans and evaluate how much you can afford to pay in a monthly premium with your health care needs.
Vermonters who do not qualify for financial help should consider buying reflective silver plans directly from MVP or BCBSVT.
Consider switching to MVP: MVP prices are lower than BCBSVT in 2026.
The Office of the Health Care Advocate is a free and confidential resource for Vermont residents who have questions about health insurance or access to care. Call 1-800-917-7787 or submit an online help request at vtlawhelp.org/health
That’s it for today.
Please be in touch if I can help.
Rep Morrow
PS – some good news… the SNAP/3 Squares money was distributed today as planned. This was a bi-partisan effort using state money to help our most vulnerable. We are expecting to be reimbursed by the feds; we’ll see…