Health Care Reform Hardly Ambitious

Burlington Free Press Thanks much to Aki Soga for his editorial “A Worthy Experiment” (July 20) where he discusses “Vermont’s ambitious efforts to reform the health insurance system.” The word “ambitious” is interesting here. The rest of the democratic/technological world has for decades had such health systems in place which Vermont is now striving so […]

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Controlling rising costs

Rutland Herald Regarding your recent editorial on the alarmingly high cost of childbirth in the United States as compared to other industrialized countries, a few more observations can be added about the continuing high cost of health care in the United States that these childbirth costs exemplify. First, most other countries put their hospitals on […]

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Why Health Care Costs So Much

Valley News To the Editor: Regarding your editorial on end-of-life care and the findings of the Dartmouth Atlas, (“End-of-Life Care and Costs,” June 18) a few observations are in order about the continuing high cost of health care. Some people blame overutilization, and by extension blame fee-for-service by saying that it encourages physicians to order […]

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Single-payer worth the struggle

Burlington Free Press Thank you for Donald MacDonald’s May 15 letter on health care. He is right. Single-payer will be one of the best things to happen in Vermont and, with luck and determination, across the country. That doesn’t mean there will be an easy, seamless transition. How could there be? Moving from domination of […]

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Exchange is not single payer

Rutland Herald   The May 27 Times Argus article on page one unfortunately adds to the confusion concerning the changes in health care for small businesses, various individuals, and families starting in 2014. The article mixes up “Green Mountain Care” with “Vermont Health Connect”. Green Mountain Care is Vermont’s single-payer health care plan. Vermont Health […]

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How to monitor single payer

Rutland Herald   The Green Mountain Care Board is considering how best to ensure oversight of Vermont’s new health care system. In 2005, the League of Women Voters of Vermont adopted a strong advocacy position in support of a single-payer health care system for Vermont. The league considered several oversight models, including legislative oversight as […]

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Let’s move toward freedom from want

Burlington Free Press   Single-payer health care is one of the best things to happen in Vermont and the nation. It ranks with legislation such as Social Security, Rural Electrification, Land Grant Colleges, Homestead Act, GI Bill, to name a few. Where would we be without the Interstate Highway System? You can take the old […]

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Making progress on health care

Rutland Herald As the Vermont Legislature works down to the wire on its budget, I want to congratulate our Democratic and Progressive House members who, working together, have put a positive budget out that should make all Vermonters proud. Yes, there is a push and pull nationally on economic issues during this prolonged downturn. I […]

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Disturbing changes to health care

Burlington Free Press In the 1970s I lived and worked in England, and was on the National Health System. I had good care and never had to worry about whether I’d be able to afford it. I am thrilled that Vermont is moving in the direction of universal health care and wish it could happen […]

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Time to protect health care

Rutland HeraldJohn McClaughry’s commentary (“11 questions about health care,” Times Argus, March 29) seems to answer more questions than it asks. Mr. McClaughry’s questionnaire is hardly an accurate guide to the inevitable inquiries which will come up as we near 2017 — the year when the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, stipulates that Vermont can […]

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