Vermont to Design a Single Payer Health Care System

Fire Dog Lake ^ | 29 May 2010 | Jon Walker

[Lorianne]

In Vermont, a bill that could possibly lead to a government-run single payer health care system is now state law. Republican Gov. Jim Douglas chose not to veto the bill, letting it become law without his signature.

At issue, Senate Bill 88 (PDF), creates a commission to design and create an implementation plan for three different health care systems. One of the options that the commission will design is a single payer health care system and one will be a health care system that includes the choice of a state-run public option along side private health insurance.

There is no guarantee that Vermont will implement either the single payer plan or the system with a public option, but it is a small step toward making that happen.

It is possible, if not likely, that federal law will be used to prevent the state from implementing a single payer system.

[Lorianne]

Good for Vermont. This is what should have happened all along, States should have been implementing their own health insurance systems, or single payer or whatever they want ... based on what the voters of that State want.

We could have had 50 labs experimenting on different systems and then States would imulate the best system which emerged.

But NO. One size fits all.

[denydenydeny]

It is possible, if not likely, that federal law will be used to prevent the state from implementing a single payer system.

This is reminiscent of the story Solzhenitsyn tells of the district that went ahead and collectivized its farms on its own before the Soviet government was able to get its own collectivization program started. All the organizers were shot.

[Juan Medén]

I agree. At least you can move out of Vermont.

[DrC]

“All the organizers were shot.”

Given that Donald Berwick, the new head of Medicare/Medicaid is a fervent advocate of single payer, this seems an unlikely outcome.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/05/26/why_donald_berwick_is_dangerous_to_your_health_105730.html

Quite the contrary, it wouldn’t suprise me at all to see Dr. Berwick openly encourage states to experiment with single payer reforms.

[whattajoke]

This is reminiscent of the story Solzhenitsyn tells of the district that went ahead and collectivized its farms on its own before the Soviet government was able to get its own collectivization program started. All the organizers were shot.

You may or may not be aware that Mr. Solzhenitsyn lived for 20 years in... where else... Vermont! With an avowed socialist representative!

[AmishDude]

I have always been in favor of single-payer.

For lawyers. It actually makes more sense than for any other profession.

Let’s see if that gets off the ground.

[ClearCase_guy]

I think the point of Solzhenitsyn's story is that the government doesn't care about a particular outcome -- collectivized farms? Single payer health care? Whatever. What the government wants is power and control. If a sub-unit were to go ahead and take action in advance of the government action, then that means that the government was not needed, and was not in control. The sub-unit (VT, a soviet district, whatever) was in control. That's not good. The government gets upset with that.

This isn't about health care. It's about control.

[reg45]

As long as those of us in the other states don’t have to bail the ones that fail.

[AmishDude]

No. He won’t encourage this at all. The whole point of single-payer is to get you addicted and when the inevitable problems come in to play and hard decisions have to be made, nobody thinks of scrapping the system.

It is inevitable that this single-payer system will lead to an exodus, especially of those whose taxes are too high to pay for it.

The whole point is to trap you into the system.

[Oceander]

We could only hope that we might get a replay of that same end-result.

[Little Pig]

Quite apart from the idiot representatives and all the lib NYers and Massholes (not to mention all the hippies in Bennington), VT is an incredibly beautiful state. I’d love to live there, if it weren’t for the politics. I’ve often lamented that the birthplace of the American Revolution, as well as the Green Mountain Boys, Samuel Adams, et al has turned into such a liberal s#ithole. If New England ever manages to throw off the liberal invasion and return to Rock-Ribbed Yankee land, I’ll move back.

[fhayek]

Fair enough, but don’t petition the Federal government when single payer bankrupts your state (and it will).

[AzaleaCity5691]

Vermont does have very good gun laws though.

[VTenigma]

Actually it’s Brattleboro not Bennington with the ultra libs, first stop on the Mass-hole express.
The govenor didn’t veto this because he knows what I know, we’re to broke to implement single payer. We can’t even pay for our Mass inspired Catamount health plan.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

The whole point is to trap you into the system. Of course. What has happened to people's thinking?

[browniexyz]

What is the “third option” referred to but not explained in this article?

[Little Pig]

C’mon, really? With Bennington college there? Didn’t they used to have “naked day”, where all the hippies wandered around with no clothes?

[Doc Savage]

List of states that have gone Communist:

1. Vermont.

2. Massachusetts.

3. Oregon.

4. Iowa.

5. New York.

States that have gone Fascist Hispanic:

1. Californexia.

States that have turned into a living nightmare:

1. Michigan.

Feel free to offer your own favorites!

[DCmarcher-976453]

Exactly Vermont can’t afford anything, the libs have destroyed the state. The lack of global warming and the rebound of the ski industry is their only hope, other wise it is a failed state.

[Paleo Conservative]

Another reason to continue my boycott of Ben & Jerry’s.