Friday, May 27, 2011

Vermont Leads The Nation

I am so jealous of the people of Vermont. First they send two of the best senators to the United States Senate -- Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy. Now they have instituted the nations first single-payer health insurance program -- a program that will give all the people of the state good health insurance coverage.

Yesterday Governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill creating the health insurance system saying that health care is "a right and not a privilege". What a novel concept -- equality under the law with everyone having the same right to health care! Now they have four years to set up the program and get it running (assuming they can get a federal waiver by then).

All I want to know is how can the people of Vermont be so imminently sensible while the rest of the country is still so screwed up.

3 comments:

  1. I grew up about 50 miles from the New York-Vermont state line. All I can say is that when you get within a mile or two of the border, it's like you're approaching a foreign country. The town squares, the simple white churches, the absolutely gorgeous autumn foliage - it's unlike any place else I've been in the United States, and I've lived in four states and visited 40.

    The pace of life is different, too, especially the western part of the state, where there are no interstate highways.

    You should pay a visit to Vermont some day, Ted. I can tell you this: I sure ain't Texas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice article, but sorry, Hawaii has had single payer for a long time. Lived there, got a driver's license and was surprised to find that health care coverage was included with residency...

    cheers!

    ReplyDelete

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