- Vermont is the healthiest state in the nation, but increasing health-care costs have driven state expenses to unacceptable levels while hurting small business and individual budgets. A State-wide single-payer system without insurance company profit margins and the 30% administrative overhead could in theory make a lot of sense, BUT not until we take major steps to also reduce the costs of health care and determine a fair way to pay for a single-payer system.
- Any single payer system should be funded by some combination of a flat tax and/or a sales-tax of unhealthy products such as cigarettes, soda and candy, NOT an income or property tax. These questions will take tie to sort out, but in the short term VT needs to trim state health-care related budgets with only a low-level safety net for those in need.
- Until there is a well-designed single-payer system in Vermont, un-insured adults should not have their costs be covered by public funds. We each need to take responsibility, but the State can enable that with low interest loans to the uninsured who cannot afford their medical bills. With a State-owned bank such as the Bank of North Dakota, Vermont could easily setup a low-interest emergency loan fund that automatically covers the uninsured, with a streamlined process by which recipients pay back the loans over time, creating a small extra revenue stream (the interest on those loans) for the state.
- Vermont should nullify any federal health care or health insurance mandate. The US Government has absolutely no authority to require individuals to purchase health-insurance with in a State. The Commerce Clause of the US Constitution gives Congress authority to regulate inter-state commerce only. Any attempt by the US government to fine or imprison people who chose to “self insure” or not buy private health-insurance should be made illegal by state law.
- Freedom of choice and personal responsibility should be the prevailing principles. All health insurance policies should be required to cover costs of non-traditional and preventive medicine, including naturopath and Chinese medicine, chiropractic and any other treatment that individuals consider to be health-care.
- We need to reduce costs and overhead by "tort-reform," meaning reducing the costs of malpractice insurance and limiting the amount of money that can be won as a "pain and suffering" aspect of a malpractice lawsuit.
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