Vermont governor signs single-payer health law

Gov. Peter Shumlin is applauded on the steps of the Statehouse prior to signing the health care bill on Thursday, May 26, 2011 in Montpelier, Vt.

/ AP Photo/Toby Talbot

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin on Thursday signed into law a bill establishing a single-payer health care plan for the state, making Vermont the first state to do so.

Shumlin lauded the legislation as an "economic and fiscal imperative" -- as well as a moral one.

"This law recognizes an economic and fiscal imperative - that we must control the growth in health care costs that are putting families at economic risk and making it harder for small employers to do business," he said in a Thursday statement. "We have a moral imperative to fix this problem, with 47,000 Vermonters uninsured and another 150,000 underinsured and worried about how to afford keeping their families healthy."

At least 150 people gathered on the steps of the Montpelier statehouse to view and celebrate the signing of the bill.

Vermont lawmakers passed the legislation in March by a 92-49 margin. At the time of its passage, Shumlin lauded the legislature for becoming "the first state in the country to make the first substantive step to deliver a health care system where health care will be a right and not a privilege."

The legislation, when fully enacted, will guarantee every Vermont resident the right to enroll in a state-sponsored insurance plan, Green Mountain Care.

The law is set to become operational in 2014. In the meantime, the legislation establishes a five-member board that will develop the health care system and ready it for implementation. The board will also be charged with figuring out how to pay for the plan, and must submit an outline for doing so to the legislature for approval by Jan. 15, 2013.

"I realize that people have legitimate questions about how a single payer will be financed and operated, and we will answer those questions before the legislature takes the next step," Shumlin said on Thursday. "We'll be getting input from all Vermonters moving forward, which is essential to the success of this effort... But input from providers, businesses and health care consumers will be especially important to assuring that our reforms are good for our health care system and good for our economy."

In order to implement the new law, Vermont will need to secure a waiver from the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care overhaul Congress passed in March of 2010. Under that law, states are not permitted to launch alternative plans until 2017. However, in February, President Obama expressed his support for the idea of moving that date up to 2014.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Mr. Obama said he was open to the idea of a single-payer health care plan. But that option was fiercly opposed by Republicans and some Democrats in the contentious debate over last year's health care overhaul, and the idea was ultimately abandoned -- to the disappointment of liberals.

According to Bloomberg News, a recent governmental study in Vermont estimated that nearly 50,000 Vermont residents lack health insurance entirely, while 150,000 have insufficient care.

[snowbird1]

The Father of Canada's Universal Health Care

http://www.mta.ca/about_canada/study_guide/doctors/delivery.html

[snowbird1]

The Father of Medicare..Tommy Douglas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_of_medicare

[tcp53]

How is that the Marxist-hijacked Democrats continually promise expensive entitlements, but always say "we'll figure out how to pay for it LATER"?? Truth is, they CAN'T find a way to pay for it without TAXING the bejesus out of ALL the hard working taxpayers! One thing IS certain; the 5-person board will be REDUCING the amount/quality of the procedures that Vermonters now enjoy. Healthcare is complicated and expensive, "Big Government" will only make it worse (and at the expense of people's LIVES).....

[ishming]

Or maybe Vermont will become a prosperous state with a healthy population of people who aren't popping pills prescribed by their doctors for the depression caused by their bankruptcies from their medical bills, thanks to the laissez-faire coddled insurance industry.

You know Top53, some government work actually FIXES large and complicated societal problems.

It's time to take stuff OFF people's plates and give them more time to focus on their own American Dream instead of wasting their lives and souls "shopping around" for health insurance. It is an awful, stupid, capitalistic bait and switch, system designed to create a dependency.

Universal Health care means people can do what they want instead always having to watch their backs. The governor is on the right side of history and will save his citizens millions of dollars, and quite a lot of suffering. This law will make Vermont a better place to live.

[Ericwvb]

The government should only spend tons of money and not worry about paying for it when it comes to doubling defense spending, invading & occupying countries, multi-hundred billion dollar boondoggles for the pharmaceutical industry, etc. When you want to actually help sick people get better, whoah not so fast!

[stn_sage]

Shame on you CBS...for failing to identify Shumlin as the democrat he is!
When I read these articles, I look to check the subject's political party because it often times helps to shed light upon the reasons why the person did what he or she did! That information is VERY relevant, and, I expect
to see it in print! Next time, please include that information!
Also, I'm glad to see that at least ONE democrat had the courage of his convictions to help get single payer through! If the parties involved want it to work, it WILL work! In the cases it doesn't, it's usually because the politicians want it to fail, and they take actions designed to achieve that end!
Good luck to the state and citizens of Vermont! Maybe YOU guys can lead the way and show the rest of the nation how to have a more cost efficient medical system!?

[justme2012]

Thank goodness for politicians who will sign laws without knowing how they will work or be paid for. It's called the PELOSI way! Without them, people might actually think governments should have business plans and budgets to contend with and those pesky things just get in the way of a good socialist movement.

[stn_sage]

to 'justme': You must be a young man, because you give Pelosi too much credit! She is NOT the inventor of the 'rush and spend', but, only a
practitioner of the method! Neither major party has seriously concerned
itself with planning and budgets and constraint, to the detriment of this nation!

[RobAla]

The state of Vermont can do what it wants to do. Americans can elect to move there or move from there. I do not want the United States to have a single payer government run health care system, where I have no choice and no recourse should I find the health coverage to be bad. I like the idea of choice. Politicians in Washington have grossly mismanaged both Medicare and Social Security to the point that both are in danger of collapse. Track records mean something, and I the federal government has not earned my trust in handling programs of that nature.

[stn_sage]

One state is NOT the United States! If the state of Vermont and the citizens therein choose single payer, then who are we, peoples from other states, to say that they cannot make this choice?! Personally, I hope the best for them that they can successfully make it work! Good luck, Vermont!

[Ericwvb]

Single payer doesn't mean private health insurance will be outlawed. You are will be free to buy additional coverage or pay for things with cash.

[nearl451]

Well, at least we'll have an example of an American model of this structure. We saw the Romneycare and didn't perticularly like that, it's just all that could pass the Congress.

[babooph]

Proof this guy is no better than a Canadian...

[babooph]

You are right,that is why I stand by my post..

[cdnborn]

Speaking as a born and bread Canadian, just wait... Stephen Harper will get rid of all the good things that the Liberal gov't put in place that has allowed us to get through this recession unscathed. Who knows, in a few more years who knows, maybe I'll be heading south to Vermont to live. And by the way, there are plenty of homeless people on the streets.

[Smokey75]

I got a feeling the way their planning to pay for it is to steal from the rich. Which will result in mass exodus of the rich from Vermont which will result in not halving enough money to pay for the program which will mean more federal welfare to bail out the failed program.

That is the problem with the liberal mentality they are always generous as long as it is some else money. I have never once heard a liberal say the Bush tax cuts for the lower 98% need to be done away with even though they were 2.5 trillion and the top 2% was only 1 trillion. Liberals are just a joke they want their handouts as long as they aren't the ones who have to pay for it.

[pasha128]

No research and unsupported fabrications, innuendo and assumptions, typical of most of your responses, smokey.

[justme2012]

No one ever complains about Obama's tax cuts. Funny thing that.

[AnneNYHI]

I believe this is a better option rather than have the federal government implement one health care system design for all 51 states.But the risk it poses is that it might be able to provide health care coverage to more residents but at what cost? more taxes?

Anne C
NY Health Insurer

[forsanity1]

There are 50 states.

Yes, the people of Vermont may pay higher taxes. That is their choice. I for one would also have no problem with higher taxes just to get the for profit insurance company bureaucrats out of my health care. I hope California follows suit ... or at least gives us a hybrid type plan along with the ACA.

[retm-w]

How's your lower commission working out for you? The health insurance companies put it all on the agents backs, while the CEO's and upper managment aren't giving up a thing. Bet it will be cheaoer for the same coverage then any of the private health insurers. More taxes would still be cheaper then the individual private health insurance market.

[carolo43]

I like this Governor. Wish I either lived there or he was Governor here so we wouldn't have the nutjob we ended up with in MI. I've seen this Governor on TV a few times and he's always sensible and caring for those he Governors. Perhaps every State should follow his lead?

[justme2012]

Nothing stopping you from moving there but your own inabilities.

[retm-w]

Vermont is smart, they passed their own healthcare bill, that way the tea party republicans in Washington can't do a thing about it.

[ajvw]

LOL - they don't know how to pay for it

[retm-w]

ajvw

Funny Canada has single payer and they have the money, to pay for theirs.