First, a little background:
Vermont — a highly-liberal Deep Blue state — opted to go above-and-beyond their obligations when it came to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). Instead of offering a public-funded health-care option, they chose to go full single-payer.
Naturally, it didn't work. Democratic State Governor Peter Shumlin just conceded that the $2 billion price tag (that's "billion", with a 'B') was too high, taxes would sky-rocket too much, and that his State's single-payer system could not be done.
Who'da thunk it? I mean, besides Republican Gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne, who — before the election — predicted this admission would come out ... wait for it ... after the election.
Which brings us to the Quote of the Day:
If Vermont can’t make it work, single-payer can’t work anywhere in the country where the economy has free and competitive markets. It’s more evidence that centralized government health care is simply not workable in America.Zing!
Just a bit more background (from Census.gov and Vermont's Dept. of Labor, Economic & Labor Market Information): Vermont's population (2013 est.) is 626,630. The working-age demographic (over 18 years, less than 65) makes up 64% of the total population, which Vermont reports as 351,800 people. They have 4.4% unemployment, which means they should have plenty of workers contributing (via taxes) to run this program.
And it still couldn't be done. One more time, with feeling: If Vermont can't make it work, single-payer can't work anywhere with free, competitive markets.
Stay safe.
[Hat tip: Aleister, writing for Legal Insurrection.]
"Zing!" indeed.
ReplyDeletePeople who think you can dramatically expand health care coverage, both preventative and for treatment, and offer it to everybody without risk adjustment, and think you can CUT costs are insane. They received their economics education from unicorns.
Obamacare is a Trojan Horse and just a few shades less openly socialistic, but it is still designed to be the gateway drug to single payer after all health insurance implodes from its mandates. It is designed to fail so the gubermint can ride in on a white horse and "rescue" us with single payer. I curse all Democrats and the idiots who voted for them.
It is the single most evil un-American and un-Constitutional law ever passed with the possible exceptions of Plessy versus Ferguson or Roe versus Wade.
The bait-and-switch tactics - right up to Chief Justice John G. "It's a Tax!" Roberts - to get this monster rolling have been epic. And as was pointed out, repeatedly, the whole way, they can't just over-regulate, take over, and shut down 1/6 of the American economy and not expect some push-back and adverse consequences.
ReplyDeleteBut I think you're right: it's designed to fail so the fed.gov can swoop in and save us all.
That "white knight" personality type is also known as either the "gamma male" or "delta male", depending on what hierarchy you're reading. On the darker side, he's the "nice guy" who's "there" for the ladies going through a recent break-up (usually with an alpha or beta male). That is to say, he's there to ingratiate himself by bad-mouthing the old boyfriend, only to sleep with the girls in their moments of weakness. He may or may not call them in the morning. The ladies often come away from him weaker than before, but the gamma/delta doesn't care; he got what he wanted.
Most of us don't tolerate these kinds of scumbags in our personal lives, or the personal lives of our close friends. Why we're allowing the government to be run by them and inject themselves into our personal lives is beyond me.