Posted on 03/18/2014 7:23:02 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Vermont Health Connect is a disaster. It’s a disaster even by the standards of other troubled state health care websites. And Green Mountain Care, its attempt at single payer, is an even bigger disaster. (via Ace)
Al Gobeille, the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, says additional tax revenue will be needed in order to make a publicly-financed health care system affordable for all Vermonters.
And Gobeille says he won’t shy away from the challenge.
“That’s the question that everybody runs from, but I’ve never run from it,” said Gobeille. “It’s going to come from a tax, and the question is, ‘What is the best tax?’”
In about a month, the Shumlin Administration says it will release a menu of tax options that could be used to finance their single payer plan.
A menu of options. It’s like a restaurant except you pay for someone else’ lunch. How much menu tax options will it take?
As Vermont Watchdog reported, an independent report by the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Avalere Health concluded that the costs of Green Mountain Care would require Vermont to raise tax revenue roughly equal to the state’s tax collections from all sources today.
Double taxes? Sure. People will love a 14 percent tax rate. Or raise the sales tax to 12 percent. No chance of that backfiring.
In a recent poll of Vermonters’ views on Shumlin’s single-payer plan, half of the respondents said they are not confident state government could effectively manage a universal health care system.
Lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee, who are responsible for raising revenue, aren’t enamored with Shumlin’s proposal to double the claims assessment. They say it is a tax on insurers who will pass the cost on to customers through premiums.
Rep. Cynthia Browning, D-Arlington, isn’t satisfied with Gov. Peter Shumlin’s decision to delay the presentation of financing options for single-payer to lawmakers before the end of the legislative session.
A fundamental premise of Green Mountain Care is to decouple health insurance from employment by paying for it with taxes instead of premiums.
It’s not just Republicans that are frustrated with Shumlin for not producing a financing plan, she said. There are Democrats who support single-payer, but want to know how the administration plans to pay for it.
Or a broken outhouse on fire.
“What health care needs is better organization and this provides the opportunity to do that,” Gobeille said.
“I feel beaten and battered,” said Susan Rixon, a frustrated consumer. “I feel like I have done everything I was supposed to do in this entire process and I’m still running into road blocks.”
I’m sure these folks will get single payer right. How could they not?
” I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2000 members of the faculty of Harvard University.” — William F. Buckley, Jr.
Yes. I want Vermont to implement Single Payer. They will go broke within two years. Then no one will ever try this again for at least a century.
On the other hand, leftists will always respond to an abject failure of their policies that it ‘just wasn’t done right’. They never draw the obvious conclusion, they just come up with another centralist scheme, requiring more taxes.
RE: They will go broke within two years. Then no one will ever try this again for at least a century.
Guess who will be asked to “rescue” them...
Yes...DIMocRATS.
The only thing Vermont needs now is a VAT tax.
RE: VAT tax.
Vermont Added Tax :)
Why don’t they (the gov’t) just take 70% of everyone’s income (including social security and pensions) and be done with this. Gov’t is greedy and mean.
Why stop at 70%? :)
Did you check the link in post 7?
Geee- you want to double the sales tax, Mr Governor?
IF I were remodeling my house or I wanted to change out all my old furniture, I would rent a U-Haul truck & drive to a neighboring state where I could pay less for such. The distances there between states are not very great.
Or-I might just give up & move away entirely. Take my knowledge & talents somewhere that I could enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I keep expecting a single payer plan much like this:
Mr. Smith you are now qualified for absolutely free healthcare! There are of course a few stipulations to your new unqualified access to free healthcare. You are no longer permitted to smoke, You may not drink alcohol or carbonated beverages either.
You may not indulge in your hobby of cross country bike riding and your access to firearms has also been cancelled. Your driver’s license has also been cancelled. You will be chauffeured to any destination considered a legitimate one. You have also been granted access to a personal chef who will prepare special healthy meals for you.
Yes, that’s right Mr. Smith you are in a SPECIAL class now. Now please sign here on your Preferred Healthcare contract with the state. Oh yes please note that by signing this contract you agree to be a living organ and bodily part donor for the Lt. Governor as long as he holds an elected position here in the state or Federal Government.
Yes, that’s right Mr. Smith! For access to totally free healthcare there are a few... Hmmmm... clauses that need to be filled.
Ah yes! Thank you once again for signing up Mr. Smith.
Ok, boys take him away to the padded room; we don’t want Mr. XXXXXXXX’s living parts donor to be damaged while waiting for use now.... Do We?
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