Think Progress

One Step Closer to Universal Health Care

By David Sirota on May 19th, 2005 at 3:41 pm

One Step Closer to Universal Health Care

WCAX Vermont reports that “the Vermont Senate has given preliminary approval to a sweeping reform of the state’s health care system.” By a vote of 21 to six, “the Senate approved a new program they call Green Mountain Health” that “will provide primary and preventative care to all uninsured Vermonters beginning in July 2006.”

The bill now needs to be ironed out with Vermont House legislators, who passed their own version earlier. But the big question is whether Republican Gov. Jim Douglas will veto the measure. Douglas has significant ties to the health care industry. But does he want to be the governor whose legacy is preventing Vermont from becoming the first state in America to enact universal health care? Stay tuned.

Comments
16

15 Responses to “One Step Closer to Universal Health Care”

buckshot says:

Well this might be interesting. Perhaps if Vermont could begin covering all who are uninsured, it could be a shining example from which other states may observe and learn.

If it goes ahead, I would guess there would be several “unintended consequences” to follow….

1) Most insured folks would quit paying for insurance (why pay if you can get it free?)
2) Businesses would stop offering decent plans to their employees (why give something they can get for free?)
3) The Vermont health -care industry would be swamped with millions of people with ailments previously untreated (now they can go – free)
4) Doctors would either flood into the state (to get the money) or flood out of the state (if the money isn’t forthcoming)
5) Vermont asks for federal bailout.
6) Vermont goes belly up.
7) Other states watch and learn not to try the same thing.
May 19th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
Tony says:

8) Successful businesses and taxpayers footing the bill will move to NH.
May 19th, 2005 at 5:16 pm
Krazny says:

Either way the public ends up paying for healthcare. Either it cannot be afforded and has to be written off, or can be provided. The public still pays. And if affordable preventative care can be afforded then there will be less catastrophic care.
May 19th, 2005 at 5:30 pm
Editor DFPS says:

So Buckshot and Tony, Why aren’t there millions of Canadians sneaking across the border to get a way from their medical system? Why does every other industrialized first world nation of the face of the earth have universal health care for all of it’s people but we don’t?
May 19th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
Mike says:

I think its quite discriminatory to force only big companies with >10k employees to pay for health care. Either all businesses should do it or none.

The way I look at it, its either a consumption tax or an income/property tax. Businesses that must provide health care for their employees pass on the costs to the consumer (hence consumption tax). If the government provided the care, the cost is passed to taxpayers via income, property, etc tax.

I agree that preventive care is cheaper and better quality than the emergency care we currently have for the uninsured.
May 19th, 2005 at 6:24 pm
buckshot says:

Editor,

You might be shocked to know how many Canadians DO come to America to get treatments. If they can afford to pay for it, they know they can actually get treatment here, rather than waiting for 6 months in Canada.

Same story in the other industrialized nations who have govt. sponsered health care. It’s really a simple supply/demand thing.

I might add, most of those countries are wallowing in debt and heading toward the abyss.

Gary,

I don’t know. I’m not pretending to know the exact details of the proposal. My comments were general in nature. Whether there is co-pay or deductible probably doesn’t change the picture very much one way or the other.
May 19th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
Al says:

buckshot- AND tony- thanks to your fearless leader, we are also wallowing in debt and heading toward the abyss. For what has been spent in2 short years looking for WMD’s which everyone knows was only a pretext for invasion, which even fearless leader knew never existed, universal health care could be easily funded.
May 19th, 2005 at 10:43 pm
buckshot says:

The problem with your logic is that it’s not an either/or world.

You don’t get a war or universal health care, for example. You might get both, or you might get neither.

Either one will cause catostrophic deficits. Even without the war, universal health care would create monumental deficits. Check out the other countries with socialized healthcare. Long lines, poor service, or no service. You wait and you wait and you wait – and finally you just go without or you die.

At least here you can work, earn money, and pay for care. That’s why Canadians (& others) come to America to get medical care.
May 20th, 2005 at 1:39 am
Justin says:

I’m a Canadian. I don’t know anyone. ANYONE who goes to the states for healthcare. Maybe those snobby millionaires. But that’s who you guys are looking out for right?
May 20th, 2005 at 2:05 am
Justin says:

And yes my healthcare is SO bad. I mean look I made a doctors appointment and gasp! He can see me tomorrow! Oh the ungodly wait. I guess I’ll have to suffer and die. Of course there are instances where the system fails but it’s still better than private care. It’s been proven that for profit clinics cut corners resulting in more preventable deaths.
May 20th, 2005 at 2:10 am
John says:

“At least here you can work, earn money, and pay for care.”

Except for the 45 million people who can’t. I guess they don’t count. I’m self employed. Do you know how much it would cost me to get decent coverage? I would have to make at least 100k to afford it.

As if in Germany or Japan, people can’t work, make money and pay for care. These are rich countries. Why do you think they’ve chosen government-funded health care? Is it because they don’t have representative forms of government that respond to the “outcry” for private care?

According to the OECD, Germany, for example, spends only 2 percent more of its GDP (8.6 versus 6.6) in publicly funded health care than we do. And it spends 6 percent less in privately-funded care (2.3 versus 8.1). This reinforces the arguments above that we are all paying for the millions of uninsured that show up at the ER for care. Add to that the cost of private bankruptcies and the toll on the economy overall mounts.
May 20th, 2005 at 3:58 am
bigfoot says:

Buckshot is the master of GOP self centered conventional wisdom, the kind that results in the gross overpayment of insurance companies and the poorest care by outcome in the industrialized west. Americans are flying to India to get surgery to save their lives: Canadians are flying to America to get their boobs lifted. go figure.
May 20th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
buckshot says:

Al,

Your opinion is based on what, thin air?

Justin,

You are one person out of what, 30 million? That’s called anecdotal evidence. Your particular experience cannot reasonably be applied to the entire population.

John,

Yes, I do know. I’m self employed as well, and I pay for my own coverage. Do you want me to pay for yours, too? That’s what you’re asking, is for others to carry your weight.

You say Germany & Japan are rich countries. Perhaps you should read up on their national debts, and then get back to us.

Germany is practically bankrupt. And you are using it as a shining example?
May 22nd, 2005 at 12:20 am
Justin says:

Buck,

My evidence is better than yours. Have you even been to Canada?
May 22nd, 2005 at 12:59 am
buckshot says:

Justin,

You aren’t saying anything. Now you’re asking questions with no point.

Either you have some relevant discussion of the topic or you don’t.
May 22nd, 2005 at 12:50 pm

One Step Closer to Universal Health Care

One Step Closer to Universal Health Care

15 Responses to “One Step Closer to Universal Health Care”

Blogroll