Letter to the Editor (TA)
It is now apparent that if any type of health care bill manages to come out of Congress, it will be so eviscerated that any attempt to call it reform would be ludicrous. Therefore it is imperative that Vermont takes the lead with its own healthcare reform in the form of "single payer" House Bill 100 and Senate Bill 88.
Some of the obvious advantages of "single payer" for individuals are comprehensive coverage from birth to death, freedom to change jobs or start a business with out losing healthcare benefits, no large deductibles or co-pays making preventative care more readily available, medical treatment approval by the physician not the insurance company, an immediate savings of at least 30 percent by eliminating insurance administrative overhead, public financing based on a person’s ability to pay, and lower hospital costs due to simplified billing. A gross example of the last point would be Duke University Hospital with 900 beds and 900 billing clerks. The same size hospital in Canada has three billing clerks. "Single payer" would also benefit small businesses by leveling the playing field and attract startups to Vermont, bringing more jobs with them.
Some of the not so obvious advantages are that large self-insured employers such as the state of Vermont, Unilever, or IBM would no longer need to supply benefits and hire insurance companies as administrators. (The state of Vermont uses CIGNA.) This extremely large and substantial savings would increase job security for employees, free up monies for higher salaries, reduce cutbacks and layoffs during recessions, and help prevent outsourcing of jobs. In addition, legacy health care benefits wouldn’t be necessary. Just ask General Motors, which spends more on legacy benefits than steel for its vehicles.
The misconception that any government healthcare plan somehow diminishes individual liberty is completely without merit and backwards thinking.
I have never felt more liberated since being on Medicare as I’m not "handcuffed" to a job due to healthcare benefits. All Americans should enjoy such independence.
Jerry Kilcourse
Montpelier