That’s not the sticker price that the hospital charged my insurance, but rather the rate Aetna had already negotiated down to. And as a community member, I wanted to understand how healthcare costs like this actually might have a direct effect on problems we face locally like affording our rural public schools. This system — and the high healthcare costs it results in — has big implications for small towns. This is no small matter when employee benefits account for almost a quarter of the school district budget, and the school district budget is in turn the majority of many town operating budgets — 58% in Buckland, where I live. While the budget ultimately passed, the problem is only bound to compound in the coming years.