About Single-Payer in the USA. . .Flat-Lined in VT

Still, despite all the rage in the cage against single–payer, there is one state which has stepped in and wants to steep its residents in the program: Vermont.

Yet despite the overwhelming evidence against single-payer, or socialized medicine, or universal health care, there is one state, so far, which has pushed the single-payer system: Vermont.

But wait, even the Democrats in the Green Mountain state are sounding the alarm against single payer.

Their words, reported by Vermont Watchdog.com:

VT Rep.Jim Condon (D-Colchester)

"The deadlines for proposing financing have been missed two years in a row now, so to me that’s very disappointing. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that there is no financing plan.” — Jim Condon

Whether liberals want to admit it or not, their plans fall apart not because of moral or social, or even cultural concerns, but the financial issues. As British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher put it: "The problem with socialism is that you end up running out of other people's money!"

Bobby Starr (D-Burlington)

Prior to this report, Senator Bobby Starr shared his concerns about the single-payer system "Green Mountain Care":

“There’s no way we can do it without new taxes … There’s no way possible of generating that kind of money from the existing money as far as I’m concerned."

Then he added:

“My fear is, in many regards, is if we have something that’s so unique that it puts us at a disadvantage from the states around us from a business standpoint.  I want to be sure that we don’t suffer.”

The tax dollars have to come from somewhere. If not from the individual citizens, then the wealth creators, including the private businesses, who end up carrying the bulk of the costs. Even Democrats realize that there is a limit to what they can get away with when it comes to raising taxes for government programs.

Starr ultimately voted against the plan, along with Condon.

Cynthia Browning (D-Arlington)

A third Democrat, Cynthia Browning (D-Arlington) is demanding that the Governor, fellow Democrat Peter Shumlin show the legislature the money.

Once again, even in the bluest of states like Vermont, it's all about the green which makes lawmakers and taxpayers red.

Browning commented:

“I think if the governor is going to continue to say, ‘I’m going to do single-payer,’ he has to show us how. And he has to show us how he’s going to build a sustainable, political base to support it. And the longer he doesn’t do that, the more it leads you to think he can’t do it or that he’s actually going to drop the thing later but he’ll wait until after the election."

Since Democrats are not looking good across the country, maybe the GOP can crack through the blue haze and take back seats in the Green Mountain state, too.

Obamacare was supposed to be a transformative reform which expanded access, lowered costs, and provided quality health care. Vermont wanted to go further and enact single-payer, only to find that it's all about the money.

As one headline put it, single-player has "flat-lined" in Vermont. Will it flat-line Democratic dominance in Vermont, and through  New England, too?