By: DICK BOWER, Bennington
I have only one question for Mr. Harrington. Is he happy with his Medicare single payer plan? If his answer is yes, why not share these qualities with the general public through a single payer system for all? His assertion to "Forget whether or not the single payer plan is equitable or affordable or workable" cannot be ignored because Medicare has these qualities.
Look, we will never have the perfect healthcare plan. Granted, the Affordable Health Care Act had an awful roll out, but it does mitigate (lessen the pain of) the former insurance industry’s inequities, which were, one, arbitrary denial of coverage and two, astronomical premiums that in themselves denied access to any health care. Yes, insurance coverage can not now be denied and the cost is more equitable across the board.
The law will inevitably be amended just as the Medicare Act has been amended, since its inception in 1965. At least now, we have potential advocates for reform, our legislators, as opposed to fighting the insurance industry alone.