Vermont Legislature Approves Single Payer Universal Health Care

Universal health care advocates rally
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100502/NEWS02/100501004/Universal-health-care-advocates-rally


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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Vermont could lead the way in establishing a universal health care system under which a government agency would administer and make all payments for health care.



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The state Legislature has passed legislation that could result in a “public option” health insurance rejected by Washington or the Canadian-style single-payer system.
The bills passed by the House and Senate call for designing a single-payer system. Both would require federal approval.

The Senate’s bill focuses on single-payer as the goal, but also calls for two alternative designs. Differences will have to be worked out in negotiations between the chambers. It isn’t clear whether Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, will sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. His spokesman has said Douglas likes parts of the bill but has “strong concerns” about others.

Sanders, a longtime advocate of universal care, called it a “moral disgrace” that the U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t guarantee health care for all of its people.
“I want you to pass a single-payer health care program in Vermont,” he said.

“And when you do that, I will go to the president of the United States and say, ‘Mr. President, this is what Vermont has done. Let ’em go forward.’ And I’m going to go to my conservative friends in the Congress and say, ‘You believe in states’ rights. Well, here’s a state that has passed single-payer. Let ’em go forward,’” he said, eliciting cheers.

It's heartening that the state legislature there is persistent enough to keep passing this.
Go Vermont!

:kick:

who can afford to leave.

Maybe the self-employed.

Vermont isn't very populated but I like the symbolism.
Vermont was ahead on civil unions/gay marriage so maybe this will start a trend.

::crosses fingers::

I don't see it happening in AR but maybe one day MA will wake up, repeal their bill, and pass single-payer.

in the future, when there's a push for national single-payer.

Was just curious about the practical benefits for Vermonters (Vermontians? Vermonties? Vermontites?)

get a little clout? :) Things get DONE!

He made promises to docs, hospitals, and pharma, and he's a man of his word (if you're wealthy, that is).

If anyone wants to put money on this, let me know.

:nopity:

several other states have much better medical marijauna laws than Vermont... and we have our share of "take back vermonters" which is not far off from tea baggers... plus we don't have a law for single payer here yet... just a bill in the house and another in the senate. we'll have to see how it plays out.

My neighborhood is very liberal, but I swear I look around and all i see are freepers, the only difference, is that these freepers like the services they get even while railing against what they are getting....

i think currently it's like any other state... in flux considering the new federal requirements that haven't kicked in yet

health insurance and it is not related to income or SCHIP...

http://www.greenmountaincare.org/about/green_mountain_care_programs.html

however for adults we currently have the same dismal situation. lots of uninsured people.

right about adults... besides Dr. Dinosaur there's also Catamount Health for adults. There are income guidelines for it however. If you don't fall under the income guidelines you have to hope what your employer offers is sufficient. Massachusetts has a much better health scheme at the moment, where you can buy in even if you have health insurance offered through an employer.

We tried.

a full-time legal resident of Vermont. So if you are a full-time legal resident of Vermont, wouldn't any taxes you pay go to Vermont? Makes sense to me, but I'm just assuming...?

as I understand there is something in there that enables states to do their own thing as long as they fulfill certain requirements.

:woohoo:

If this does well, it will start a chain reaction, just as it happened in Canada.

Tommy Douglas is the Canadian NDP leader that is noted for bringing single-payor medicare to Canada.

I may have to get used to colder weather.

been applied), you might not have to...It's hard to imagine that it wouldn't create a domino effect. We know other states are also considering it on their own. If a few more try it, it might well become an irresistible tide. THAT would be fantastic.

. . . but, I'm pretty skeptical about a Republican governor signing it.

in common with the rest of the world.

Interesting comparison to CA, my state. Twice our D-dominated legislature passed a version of Single Payer. Twice our Repug Govs vetoed.

I find it an interesting quirk of human nature. VT is one of the most authentically Progressive states at this time, down to the store-front, Socialist in the Senate level. But they still find a reason to put someone in the Executive mansion that isn't on board with all that. So the kids get to agitate and Dad sets the sober adult rules?

First, I'm not sure I agree that Vermont is so progressive. There's a lot of "Take Back Vermont" ers here, which is not far off from teabaggers. There's a lot of pro-business "conservatives" too. I think our Repub governor came in when Dean left and people just wanted a change. then he's been an incumbent after that.... another possible reason is that we have unverified elections - Diebold counts our votes in secret, so there's no confidence in the election results anyway.

After listening to toothless rednecks complain about the UN taking over Mississippi, and the blacks running everything, you will learn to live with Vermont "conservatives" as the moderates they are.

I'm sick and tired of the fact that morality appears to have been copyrighted by the religious right.

It is immoral to let people in the world's richest country get sick and die because they have no health care.

It is immoral to cut jobs and social services while a handful of obscenely wealthy people get even richer as a result.

It is immoral to face ecological disaster and yet do little or nothing to address it.

It is immoral to attack other nations who didn't attack us, to exploit their labor and steal their resources for our own selfish benefit.

Thank you, Senator Sanders!

excellent work, Sen Sanders.

California has passed it at least twice, but Ahnold keeps vetoing it. All we need is a Democratic governor.

I like Vermont.

I may move to Vermont if this passes. My wife and I have discussed Canada as an option. I'd love to stay here.

Congratulations to the people of Vermont for showing the rest of us how make government responsive to the people.

Hurray for Bernie!! and Hurray for Vermont!!

Your work and success on Single-Payer is inspiring and totally R O C K S!

http://www.scenicreflections.com/ithumbs/Covered%20Bridge,%20Woodstock,%20Vermont.jpg

This is going to happen state by state just like in Canada. California has passed it twice only to have Governor Schwarzenegger veto it. It has passed the state senate again and is now in the assembly. We need to elect Jerry Brown Governor and demand he sign it. Take a look at the effort for single payer in California at http://californiaonecare.org.

:hi: