Vermont becomes the first state to take the first step toward single-payer health insurance for all. If all goes as planned, the state will adopt single-payer by 2017.
Not only will the plan save money, but it will eliminate the need for employers to provide health insurance to their workers, creating jobs. And even more savings are possible, as it allows the state to negotiate rates with health care providers and drug companies.
When I lived in New Zealand, I noticed another benefit — car insurance was a fraction of what it costs here, since it did not have to include coverage for injuries.
2 Comments
Saw the complete article on AP news. Thought here is one state bucking the Republicans. Less health insurance in the workplace/more jobs/more competion.
I think this is a great thing. I do wonder, though, whether the particular economic structure, as well as health care system, in VT makes this more possible there than in other places. VT is mostly a small-medium sized business state (77% of firms have less than 10 employees; almost half of workers work in firms with fewer than 100 employees; an additional 10% are self-employed).
It also has had an integrated health care delivery system for years.
These seem like conditions that make for a population (resident and business) more interested in single payer system than a state whose workforce is concentrated in large companies or in government. Although, I suppose that is an empirical question.