Lawmakers are still trying to figure out if increasing Medicaid rates will help curb the cost of private health insurance. But doctors say there’s another important reason to boost payments for providing government-funded care. They’re worried that failure to address the Medicaid issue could create a physician shortage, and put independent practices out of business.

Audio from this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 4.

Town Meeting day this year did not bring a taxpayer revolt over school budgets, yet officials say the relative quiet on the budget front does not reduce the need to make fundamental changes to school governance and to the property tax system.  

Hartford was one of the few towns in Vermont that turned thumbs down on both its school and municipal budgets Tuesday night. But voters will get another chance to weigh in at the end of the month.

Herbal remedies are rooted in ancient traditions, but as they gain popularity we’re learning more about them. They're also becoming a big business and there's greater scrutiny of the ingredients in herbal products and the science behind their uses.

We’ll talk  with Guido Mase, co-director of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism and author of "The Wild Medicine Solution," about how herbal remedies are made and where to find accurate information about their uses.