Posted on 12/17/2014 6:43:25 PM PST by tobyhill
Calling it the biggest disappointment of his career, Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday he was abandoning plans to make Vermont the first state in the country with a universal, publicly funded health care system.
Going forward with a project four years in the making would require tax increases too big for the state to absorb, Shumlin said. The measure had been the centerpiece of the Democratic governor's agenda and was watched and rooted for by single-payer health care supporters around the country.
"I am not going (to) undermine the hope of achieving critically important health care reforms for this state by pushing prematurely for single payer when it is not the right time for Vermont," Shumlin said to reporters and two boards advising him on health care changes.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A few years ago, we were visiting Vermont and we stopped at a General Store in a Vermont town. We were sitting on the steps of the store when a mom and her kids came up. We started to talk and the mom said her apartment building in Manhattan had more people then the town.
Damn, I was going to drive over there and get a bunch of elective surgery done “for free”.
Shumlin didn't get more than 50% of the vote so the legislature will elect the governor in January.
He might get the vote of the VT legislature since they are like our Mass. legislature - mostly socialists.
Time will tell. -Tom
It’s very rural. Beautiful state. Just full of too many leftists.
In other words Vermont has more takers than producers and single payer would kill the golden goose of the producers.
I think the medical establishment in Vermont basically said they’d downsize rapidly if single-payer was the final result. There’s no safe profit margin with it.
The odd thing here is that the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obama-Care) is designed in a way to fail, thus leading onto single-payer. Event the President has said that in several different cryptic ways. If you present the scenario to medical groups and commercial healthcare....they’d tell you that profits under single-payer won’t work, and they will downsize to the point where it is profitable.
I’d even draw the comparison...it’s like the price of a barrel of oil. Folks were happy at $100 a barrel except the consumer. As the price drifts down to $60 a barrel....less production, so the price has to regain something eventually. It’d work the same way with the health industry...downsizing a wing in the local hospital...filling billets slowly...less doctors....refilling bulk drug supplies in a hospital only when necessary. Single payer will come with heavy consequences.
Shumlin has already wasted mega millions trying to implement this debacle. What he should do now is sue Gruber for false advertising and get the people’s money back. Shumlin is a broken man. But he knows when to quit. He’s left leaning but fairly sensible.
One reason not to do it....I assume his plan is to wait for a National plan that involves tax increases too big for the Nation to absorb - if we all go down the tubes he will fine with Vermont tagging along.
Since when are tax increases too big for a democrat? I thought that was the point of "free" health insurance for all. Or is this just a gruberation ...
I’ve been hearing the same sad health care reform song since my first week in medical school. Not a lot has changed about these creeps in 40+ years.
Whenever they talk in my presence, my comeback line is stolen from Han Solo in Original Star Wars: “But who’s gonna fly it, kid? You?”
Shumlin didn’t back off because of taxes or costs. He backed off because destroying the existing system in Vermont (which is very good) would destroy him, politically.
And make no mistake - once these commies start pulling down the temple, the results will be owned by them, 100%. They’ve always stopped short in the past, but within two years, maybe less, the US system will become wasteland if nobody stops them.
I love Vermont... not to liberal in some of the small towns...the cities yes... but the state is beautiful...
Is the legislature controlled by Dems?
I believe the socialists (dems) control the legislature.-Tom
” Going forward with a project four years in the making would require tax increases too big for the state to absorb, Shumlin said.”
Clarity becomes you : )
From the Bible and its oral tradition, Jews constantly hear God expressing this refrain to humanity:I have created most of you with almost limitless yearnings and desires, but I have placed you in a world with apparently limited resources. It may seem that there is not enough for everyone. However, if you follow my rules of ongoing and constant cooperation, there will be more than enough for everyone. Should you decide to try it on your own, you will condemn yourself to a constant struggle for survival. I have set up the world in mysterious and counterintuitive ways. You are going to have to be generous and giving to one another. You are going to have to cooperate with one another, and you are going to have to understand that interpersonal economic interaction through Ethical Capitalism is good and pleases Me, while many of the other attempts to solve the problem of extracting a living from the world without voluntary cooperation are not only evil, but I have arranged for them ultimately to fail.
” . Just full of too many leftists.”
In the late 60’s, early 70’s, swarms of hippies colonized there. This is the result.
NH was ruined due to NY and Boston transplants.
Maine next?
That will be a blow to ben and jerry’s. They were set to launch Bandaid ice cream to celebrate the socialist single payer healthcare launch
Maine is interesting.....it’s been politically left, but is shifting to the right over the last 5 or 6 years. They have a great governor (LaPage) & a new republican congressman.
Yeah, Maine is still breathing.
Blood Cherry too!
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