Vermont Has Bailed on Single-Payer Health Care

[Frodo]

Vermont bails on single-payer health care

By Sarah Wheaton
12/17/14 6:18 PM EST

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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/vermont-peter-shumlin-single-payer-health-care-113653.html#ixzz3MDE1U0Ys

[Blue3]

[Murica!]

Nooo

[IceSpear]

Well, Shumlin just fell way down on my list of favorite governors. Looks like he's running scared because he almost lost re-election to a guy who got less votes than Mitt Romney. Pathetic.

[Cory]

*shakes fist in air whilst looking angrily at computer screen*

[Indy Texas]

Open seat governor's race in Vermont in 2016?

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Coward.

[The_Doctor]

Good. The closer than expected Vermont race for Governor did it's work. Too bad Milne didn't win. Shumlin is now running scared.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

What is this, bizarro day? Obama and Cuomo each do something good, and then Shumlin comes in and ruins it?

[Murica!]

What is this, bizarro day? Obama and Cuomo each do something good, and then Shumlin comes in and ruins it?

Yup.

[free my dawg]

Bullsh*t. Here's to hoping Hassan takes over the DGA now (I mean, she's clearly more centrist than Shumlin, but at least she's real about her views).

[publicunofficial]

Coward.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

And yet Shumlin's positively champed at the bit to stick his neck out for things like public abortion funding and physician-assisted suicide. Needless to say, he's not on my list of favorite governors any more. GOOD PRIORITIES, VERMONT. REAL GOOD.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Good. The closer than expected Vermont race for Governor did it's work. Too bad Milne didn't win. Shumlin is now running scared.

Ugh you friggin Repubs.

Yay!  No healthcare!  Thank Jesus! 

Friggin coward. 

[Comrade Funk]

Good. The closer than expected Vermont race for Governor did it's work. Too bad Milne didn't win. Shumlin is now running scared.

Ugh you friggin Repubs.

Yay!  No healthcare!  Thank Jesus! 

Friggin coward. 

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Shumlin tried and found it wasn't feasible. Vermont already has some of the highest taxes in the nation. They can't raise them by this much and expect to have a functioning economy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Shumlin tried and found it wasn't feasible. Vermont already has some of the highest taxes in the nation. They can't raise them by this much and expect to have a functioning economy.

Yeah, in fairness it seems really hard to implement such a big program at the State level, because when taxes get high it's ridiculously easy for the wealthy to register in another State. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but I can't entirely fault Shumlin either.

[7,052,770]

Honestly, it doesn't really make sense for one tiny state to do this on its own. We should just give Obamacare a decade and see how it works out -- if all goes to plan we won't even need single payer.

[Vega]

Coward.

[The_Doctor]

Amusingly enough, they did it because of taxes. They discovered they would have to raise taxes on every Vermonter by 11.5% (according to that noted right wing rag, Daily Kos) to make this work. As noted on that notable right wing rag, a lot of Vermonters also have health care from Massachusetts, and other states rather than being in Vermont itself.

There wasn't probably enough political muscle, not after the close 2014 Governor race, to push this through. Hence why it was shelved.

[Sopranos Republican]

Shumlin tried and found it wasn't feasible. Vermont already has some of the highest taxes in the nation. They can't raise them by this much and expect to have a functioning economy.

Yeah, in fairness it seems really hard to implement such a big program at the State level, because when taxes get high it's ridiculously easy for the wealthy to register in another State. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but I can't entirely fault Shumlin either.

These. I mean, Christ. I support single payer as much as anyone, but believe it or not, not everyone in Vermont has the money to pay higher taxes than we already have. I come from a poor town, where free health care, or not, the tax would be crippling. And like Antonio said, wealthy people will register in New Hampshire or something, leaving the tax burden to the working class. Overhauling a deeply entrenched private healthcare system doesn't just come overnight, and at least Shumlin had the balls to try to change this godawful system, unlike Maggie prohibitionist Hassan.  

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

In your opinion, which state should try first now?

[Panda Express]

This topic is kind of ridiculous. Shumlin tried single-payer, and put a lot of effort in to it, unlike the other 49 governors, but in the end it just isn't feasible at this point in time. But "Grrrrrrr coward!!!"

Bullsh*t. Here's to hoping Hassan takes over the DGA now (I mean, she's clearly more centrist than Shumlin, but at least she's real about her views).

Hassan was going to the veto medical marijuana bill thereby killing it. She's literally one of the last Dems that should be head of the DGA. This is like saying Joe Manchin should take over for Obama because he failed to close Guantanamo Bay

[IceSpear]

This topic is kind of ridiculous. Shumlin tried single-payer, and put a lot of effort in to it, unlike the other 49 governors, but in the end it just isn't feasible at this point in time. But "Grrrrrrr coward!!!"

Bullsh*t. Here's to hoping Hassan takes over the DGA now (I mean, she's clearly more centrist than Shumlin, but at least she's real about her views).

Hassan was going to the veto medical marijuana bill thereby killing it. She's literally one of the last Dems that should be head of the DGA. This is like saying Joe Manchin should take over for Obama because he failed to close Guantanamo Bay

I'd put universal healthcare just a notch higher on the priority list than medical marijuana, but that's just me. On that note, it's not at all unreasonable to have different standards for a governor of New Hampshire and a governor of f'ing Vermont.

[Panda Express]

This topic is kind of ridiculous. Shumlin tried single-payer, and put a lot of effort in to it, unlike the other 49 governors, but in the end it just isn't feasible at this point in time. But "Grrrrrrr coward!!!"

Bullsh*t. Here's to hoping Hassan takes over the DGA now (I mean, she's clearly more centrist than Shumlin, but at least she's real about her views).

Hassan was going to the veto medical marijuana bill thereby killing it. She's literally one of the last Dems that should be head of the DGA. This is like saying Joe Manchin should take over for Obama because he failed to close Guantanamo Bay

I'd put universal healthcare just a notch higher on the priority list than medical marijuana, but that's just me. On that note, it's not at all unreasonable to have different standards for a governor of New Hampshire and a governor of f'ing Vermont.

Well yes, that's why nobody is calling for Hassan for do single-payer health care. Shumlin has been trying this for years and he's been the only governor that has even tried or pushed for it. It simply isn't feasible at this point in time. If people would actually look at the details, they would see it costs too much money to do this right now. I'm sure Vermont will try again in 5-10 years.  I'm not some super fan of Shumlin or anything, because he has a big honking Pinocchio nose, but I'm not sure what more the people in this topic want from him.