( – promoted by Sue Prent)
Now that the Supreme Court has decided that the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, ( or as I like to think of it , Obama Cares ! ), is constitutional, politicians can now only go on and on about the “mandate”: is it a tax, a penalty, a premium, or revenue… and so on. Instead of focusing on the root causes of our health care problems, and helping with real solutions, they only fight over what are essentially symptoms of long-term neglect to reform our health care” system” in this country. Meanwhile these same politicians, who don’t shirk at taking away access to health care for some people, themselves enjoy mandated health care payed for by all of us taxpayers, whether or not we ourselves have health care !
The same behavior of endlessly arguing about the “symptoms” of Vermont’s path toward health care reform under Green Mountain Care rather than coming up with real “root cause” solutions is equally true of single-payer critics here in Vermont.
Even the ACA, with its many excellent provisions that a majority of Americans would like to keep, does not adequately address the rising cost of health care. This is because it is based on the moderate Republican model of “Romney-care” which makes people buy coverage from the usual suspects, private for-profit insurance companies. Ironically , this was a failed effort to gain bi-partisan support of Republicans, who have now become the most vicious opponents of the former Republican “success story” of Gov. Mitt Romney. ( Romney himself has been forced to practically disown what he once bragged about. )
As Vermont works towards a single-payer solution to address our “symptoms”, we are taking an over-all look at the way things are done currently, including existing mandates. The goal is to come up with a co-ordinated and comprehensive “treatment”, ( to use the health care metaphor ), in the way that health care providers themselves urge as the best way to treat & heal a patient.
On the other hand, Green Mountain Care opponents trot out the same old hyperboles, ( “a runaway train”, “Titanic-care”), but are unable to offer any solutions.
When I first wrote this last week, Sen. Randy Brock, who has made health care his signature issue in running for governor, was hosting a fundraiser featuring Maine’s controversial governor, Paul LePage. Gov. LePage is hyperbole-champion among Republicans, if that is possible, having just recently referred to the IRS as the “Gestapo”. He may be gracing Sen. Brock’s beautiful home in Swanton because he has “reformed” health care in Maine, and Sen. Brock has been desperate to come up with some plan of his own to offer on the campaign trail. But Maine’s new policy is more one to avoid, rather than to emulate. While premiums for some have gone down by covering less, rates for those who can least afford it, ( seniors and small businesses ), have increased . Insurance companies have been given more power to to vary their rates based on age and geography. Small rural health care facilities, where there are no other nearby options for residents, may be forced to shut down. The real kicker is the individual insurance market can reduce premiums using a $22million PUBLIC subsidy. Maine residents are subsidizing private insurance companies !
So let’s hope that Sen. Brock decides not to push LePage’s ” solution”.