By Christian Wade, for The Center Square
(The Center Square) — Nearly a decade after then-Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin nixed a plan for a publicly funded system, advocates have renewed a push to transform health care with a single-payer system.
About 60 House Democrats have signed onto a proposal that calls for eventually replacing private health insurance premiums in the state with a public financing system. This week, supporters of the plan announced the creation of a universal healthcare caucus to push for the approval of the single-payer system.
The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Brian Cina, D-Burlington, said despite efforts to bring down the rate of uninsured Vermonters, thousands of people are still without healthcare coverage. He said those who may be eligible for healthcare plans have “fallen through the holes of a tattered social safety net.”
“It took a mass movement for Vermont to leave the nation by committing to providing healthcare as a public good, not a commodity, it is going to take a mass movement to fulfill the dream and guarantee healthcare as a human right,” he said in a statement.
Cina cited state data showing an estimated 44% of Vermonters under the age of 65 or underinsured and can’t afford the cost of premiums, which increased 7.5% to 14.4% from 2023 to 2024.
Supporters say switching to some form of a single-payer system — also called “Medicare for all” — would curb the state’s skyrocketing health care spending and free up money for other areas of the state budget. They also claim it will help alleviate crushing medical debt.
“Affordability remains one of the greatest barriers for access to healthcare,” he said. “Despite ongoing efforts to expand access to healthcare, it is impossible to control the cost of care in a system designed for the few to profit from the suffering of the many.”
Under a single-payer system, employers and employees would pay the state government through payroll taxes instead of paying premiums to private insurers. Similar to the federal Medicaid program, employees would get a health care card that could be used at hospitals and clinics throughout the state.
The idea has plenty of opposition, notably from the insurance industry, which stands to lose billions of dollars if a single-payer model upends the current health care system.
Other critics say the proposal would add another layer of taxation to a state struggling to remain competitive by reducing the high cost of living.
Shumlin abandoned the plan in 2014 after projections showed that Vermont would need to raise far more than his administration had expected. At the time, he said the plan would have required a payroll tax of 11.5% and a sliding-scale income tax that would have topped out at 9.5%, which he argued would have upended the state’s economy.
“Pushing for single payer health care financing when the time isn’t right and it would likely hurt our economy is not good for Vermont and it would not be good for true health care reform,” Shumlin, a Democrat, said in remarks at the time.
“I am not going to undermine the hope of achieving critically important health care reforms for this state by pushing prematurely for single payer when it is not the right time for Vermont.”
Switching to a single-payer system modeled on health care in Canada and Europe has long been a goal for progressives within the Democratic Party.
In the 1970s, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy fought unsuccessfully to pass legislation in Congress to create a government-run insurance plan.
President Bill Clinton tried to push through a plan in the late 1990s that would have required private employers to provide insurance coverage for their workers. His proposal, too, fizzled out.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been a longtime advocate of the “single payer” system, which was at the heart of the leftwing agenda that fueled his unexpected rise during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries.
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Categories: Health Care, State Government
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This ‘proposal’ is H.156, originally introduced last year. It is a rehash of the failed “shumlincare” proposal from 2014, with but a new group of socialists to support it.
It is assuredly bankruptcy for the socialist democracy of Vermont. The sheer weight of a 20+% income tax (payroll tax is a red herring) in addition to the current 9% state income tax is pure folly- making the Vermont income tax rate greater than the federal rate for everyone. H.156 is also a jobs program, as the bureaucracy required is staggering.
In short, this socialist pipe dream, if passed and veto overridden would constitute a n increase in poverty, outbound migration and a totalitarian stranglehold on healthcare for any Vermont resident unlucky enough to forced into this debacle.
For those giddy to receive “free” healthcare, remember this:
The cheese is never free.
This is the problem, health care costs too much. Health care costs have risen faster than inflation for decades. Health care costs are out of line with the rest of the economy. Health insurance has become a worthless product. People would be better off putting money aside to pay for actual health care when needed instead of paying for health insurance. People will say , “What if you have a major health care emergency? My answer,” It will cost so much you wont be able to pay the amount not paid by insurance.” We have allowed the government years to control health care costs and the government has FAILED.
It has always failed for a good reason. Cost. Nothing has changed except as the promoters admit, costs have risen. Health care has been taken over by big business to extract a profit from suffering and they’re in bed with Big Pharma and Insurance. That’s where the change needs to take place. Regulate the offenders. But every new crop of legislators thinks they’re smarter and wiser than those who came before. They don’t learn from the past, listen to reason, or address the causes; but in general they are pretty good at putting lipstick on pigs; like adding another layer of bureaucracy to an existing morass.
Here we go again!! I am a retired nurse, and I’ve been following this issue since I returned to Vt. quite a few years ago. Yes, Shummy (finally) figured out that “it wouldn’t work”! DUH! I could go on and on about the multiple reasons it is NOT good, and will NOT work. Think about why so many Canadians come to Vt. for necessary health care. Primarily it is so they don’t die before they would receive care in Canada. That leads to one of my primary reasons against “Single Payer” is quality of care. Some of you may be aware of such issues with OneCare.
This will be the end for me. Already, I don’t like Vermont meddling with medicare and I sure don’t want them touching my health insurance. If this boondoggle flies, then so do I….
health costs ///our house// over 4,000.00 dollars out our s. s. checks given to medicaid///1,400.00 increase in our private insurance this year// over 4,000.00 per year///times are good/// who do you go to ///just suck it up ///
correction///medicare//
Its just ignorant to think the government can tax us into affordable healthcare. I mean, hasn’t the State Of Vermont already failed at healthcare? So they think THIS will work? I always direct anyone spouting “single payer” healthcare by the government, to look at the VA. Yes its pretty great down in WRJ (#1 in the country I am told) despite the multitude of red tape and hoops our poor older veterans have to jump through, BUT you won’t get the same level of care at every single VA in the US. Therein lies just one of the issues. The government, state or federal, has never once improved or made more efficient one thing they’ve done. So, I’m absolutely, without a doubt sure, this would be no different.
How many unemployed people would come into the state to get free Healthcare? Homeless, no problem. Just claim you are a resident and get the benefit, or will there be restrictions?
Vermont has one of the highest demographics of medically insured people in the nation! What they refer to are the HUNDREDS of migrants from Africa & Afghanistan they have “ordered” to “diversify” Vermont (after all, Vermont’s European ancestry & culture are intrinsically evil) & the illegal immigrants & out-of-state homeless populations they elect to financially support through MY tax dollars!
The government high-density “equity” housing is for them. The health care single payer system is for them: COMMUNISM. Premiums for Medicare increased because your government is placing MILLIONS upon millions of illegals onto your health care system designed & funded by taxpaying citizens.
These idiots in Montpelier believe they are “slick”. They’re just slimy, not slick at all.
If this passes, we will have no financial choice but to figure out a way to move. This would be at considerable loss. It is incomprehensibly difficulty to move an active homestead. Effectively we would be starting over at age 61+. But this would be the straw. This or the potential increase in school taxes.
They are FOOLS. Evil Fools.
https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17
Everyone needs a side gig just to survive now days. Income is high risk. Better to have business expenses that give you positive externalities. For example, maybe instead of cooking dinners, we now have business meetings with other local proprietors so we can afford to eat. (and provide value to the community)
Maybe start a blog about homesteading, and sell advertisement space on your blog, for example.
All ordinary and necessary expenses are not income federally, but I’m not sure how the VT code works. They might nab you anyway.
sorry, i am not leaving vermont. my family has property in vermont for over one hundred years///the judge will decide the out come///