Vermont's new Governor-elect already making plans for SINGLE PAYER health care

[garybeck]

I received this note via Facebook from VT Governor-elect Peter Shumlin:

--

Peter Shumlin
I just announced my health care reform team that will work on getting single payer in Vermont. Steve Kimbell will be Commissioner of BISHCA, Harry Chen will become the Commissioner of the Department of Health, Susan Besio will remain in her role as Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access and Anya Rader Wallack will lead the health care reform efforts as Special Assistant to the Governor.

[emulatorloo]

1. excellent!

[sasha031]

2. Bravo for Vermont

:applause:

[Confusious]

3. Republicans will declare it illegal

States have rights? Naaa, only the ones we want.

[rfranklin]

4. I will transfer all my assets to Vermont...

and I don't even like the snow!

[glinda]

26. Husband and I will follow.

[flamingdem]

30. A lot of Vermonters are snowbirds, those winters really do drag on nt

[progressoid]

5. Single payer, Bernie Sanders,

I may have to move. :)

[mmonk]

20. Gives one pause, doesn't it?

[tblue37]

6. Maybe like equal marriage rights for gays, this is a desired goal that

will have to be reached at the state level, one state at a time. I wish we had the political will to do the right thing at the federal level, but its pretty clear we don't. Maybe, though, the states will one-by-one do the right thing, until the left behind states begin to see the value of it.

[lise]

7. how can

this work if we have the Federal HC Law in place?

Will Vermonters have to pay for both the Federal HC and their State HC? Even tho they use only the State?

Ideas, anyone?

[cali]

8. they'll seek a waiver

enabling them to put single payer in place.

[bobbolink]

9. If I remember correctly, the provision which would have prohibited it was removed.

State by state is probably the way it will be accomplished.

It was how Canada did it... by provinces.

[eridani]

22. Vermont will have to get an ERISA waiver. Sanders is working on it n/t

[Cleita]

10. I hope Jerry Brown does the same in California.

The law is already written. All he has to do is not veto it like Arnold has done.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. It is coming a state at a time.

Why they will do all they can to stop it.

[Xithras]

31. Brown has suggested that he wants the funding source identified first.

The problem in California is that tax hikes require a 2/3'rds majority in the legislature, or at the ballot box. While Californian's overwhemlingly support Single Payer in polling, the numbers aren't quite high enough to pull off the majorities needed. Given our current fiscal mess, there's no way it can be funded from our current budget and, unlike the federal government, we don't have the ability to deficit spend.

Brown has long been a supporter of single payer, but the attempts to pass it before now have essentially ignored the funding question. According to many insiders, Brown isn't OK with that.

[onehandle]

12. Life spans in Blue States will outpace life spans in Red States soon, if not already. nt

[David Zephyr]

13. Howad Dean started this ball rolling by covering every child in Vermont.

garybeck, your announcement is wonderful news on expanding single payer to all in Vermont.

Great news. I hope we have this soon in California.

[zipplewrath]

14. Dean suggested this was fairly unworkable at the Vermont level

Too small of a market with borders too close to other states.

But if California did it....

It occurs to me that a large state, looking to attract business, could create a single payer system which would in effect protect the companies from the constant cost increases of health care. It could be a huge seller for the moderate size business.

[cali]

15. with all due respect to Dean

it's not unworkable at all and Dr. William Hsaio of Harvard has already designed a single payer plan.

[tkmorris]

18. "Borders too close to other states"... ?

That's good stuff right there. :rofl:

[cali]

21. that is good

and I didn't even see how funny it is until you pointed it out.

:rofl:

[mmonk]

25. Yeah but its northern border is a Canadian province.

So the danger of close borders to others states is offset making it workable. I've done the math.:-)

[glinda]

27. Are you in Vermont? Will you be one of the possible lucky ones to get HC?

[Recursion]

16. Here's hoping they can control costs...

Go Vermont!

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

17. Guns, pockknives, personal recording laws, maple syrup, skiing... and now Single Payer

Damn... I really need to move to Vermont.

I'd love to move to Vermont, bee thinking about it for years.
I'd just have to make extra careful to stay out of all the other bordering states.

[CTyankee]

19. This is exciting...more will follow...I just wish CT would...nt

[Karmadillo]

23. Hope he has some good lawyers to deal with the soon to be breaking sex scandal.

nt

[glinda]

28. no kidding.

[alsame]

24. I remember during the HC debate that Bernie said SIngle

Payer would most likely be achieved on a state by state basis. Let's hope other states quickly follow suit if this goes through in VT.

K&R

[flamingdem]

29. Yay Vermont setting an example for the nation! nt