Please note that the correct date is actually Saturday March 26. Join us at 1pm at the Statehouse! All are welcome.

Single payer now!

Why was that plan abandoned? This is a curveball of sorts. The bill that got the three plans written was not designed to implement the insurance exchanges as mandated by ObamaCare, but to bring a single-payer plan to a vote. Why not vote on single-payer, and let the feds fight it in court? Or apply for waivers? Or lobby for legislation?

Seems like a major concession to just accept the 2017 State Innovation Language. This was my worst fear of ObamaCare that it would be single-payer’s undoing in Vermont. And it seems to have, so far, unfolded that way.

The connection between Shumlin and Obama is pretty tenuous. I mean yes, both are Democratic politicians subject to the failings of the party and its ties to big business. But, Obama did not have a state-wide health reform bill, he was merely a public supporter of single-payer and then (predictably, once he got close to power, as the author notes) abandoned his support to illicit support from insurance and drug companies, as well as the national party.

Shumlin, meanwhile, had Hsaio write three plans and he did, and a fight remains over what the final plan will look like. If Shumlin runs for president and rebuffs his intellectual support for single-payer, than we can compare the two.

As far as Obama and single-payer, he got the support and money and time of the single payer community in Chicago including some folks I know personally. But when he reached the point where the presidency was in sight then he gave the SP crowd the proverbial finger and became the insurers’ prostitute.
Shumlin is doing the same thing IMO and he is a buddy of Obama apparently.

You guys have the best of intentions up there, with the exception of a few Democrat Party operatives in your midst – but you are being played. And it has been going on for too long.

Instead, the Vermont single payer advocates are daily in the legislative committees trying to make improvements to the legislation. It’s been a long hard road and it will be longer and harder still before we are done. If we are to step down the road to the implementation of single payer beginning in one small state, we have to recognize and deal with the fact that we do not call the shots at the federal level which currently provides much of the funding for health care in Vermont and potentially will be providing much more. If we just say “No.”, all that will happen is that the single payer provisions will be removed from the bill and we will be left with the federal compliance provisions and not single word about how to move forward on real health care reform.

No one here has pulled punches in their criticism of the bill, but we are trying to keep single payer alive in the face of an onslaught from major instate corporate employers (such as IBM) carrying the water for the pharmaceutical and insurance interests. Just say “No” is just what they want. Instead, we are militantly keeping our legislators’ feet to the fire. (However, we do draw the line at actually spitting on members in the committee room.)

Not being a Dem, I feel no need to defend Gov. Shumlin (who has many policy failings) but to compare him to the President is unfair. I do not remember Obama vigorously campaigning on “single payer” (whatever he may have said in the past). Nor did he propose legislation with that language. Shumlin did both. (As to his comment about implementation not until after his reelection. Vermont has two-year terms so that will be in November 2012, if it happens.)

Himmelstein and Woohandler are right in their criticisms of the bill, describing its weaknesses, but I did not hear a call for “Just say ‘No.” I would advise Vermont single payer supporters to stay in the fight and follow their advice to “bolster the governor’s evident enthusiasm for the single-payer project and maintain the courage of the Legislature as they face the inevitable onslaught of corporate opposition to real health care reform.”

http://www.workerscenter.org/hsiao_summary
http://vtdigger.org/
http://vermontforsinglepayer.org/home
http://www.workerscenter.org/writeathon/