In her commentary, House Health Care Committee Chair Alyssa Black talks of how health care “is designed to be complicated and complex.” She talks of opening the “black box” of health care affordability and financing. However, she never mentions the proven viability of universal single-payer health care adopted worldwide.
In 1947, the Honourable Tommy Douglas spearheaded universal hospital care in the lone province of Saskatchewan, Canada. His legislative work led the country to adopt in 1984, the Canada Health Act a nationwide, universal health care system. Here in Vermont, Act 48 of 2011 mandates Vermont adopt a universal single-payer health care system. Where are we 15 years later?
Vermont has wasted 10 years investing in the ACO model (accountable care organization) evidenced by OneCare ACO going belly up 2025. Now, with a Rural Health Transformation Fund federal grant to the tune of $195 million a year or $1 billion for five years, House Health Care Committee Chair Alyssa Black has no systematic plan to implement universal health care. She outlines vague incremental exercises to adjust and strengthen the present broken system.
On the other hand, House Bill H.433 outlines a universal health care system for Vermonters starting with universal primary care providing essential care that includes mental health and substance abuse services for everyone. Universal primary care accounts for only a fraction of our overall health care spending and is the logical place to begin a program of universal care. Over 10 years, all health care for all Vermonters can be included in this universal health care program.
Let’s not waste five more years on incremental reform as we wasted with the ACO disaster. Don’t accept band-aid gestures to simplify the complex black box of health care. Contact your legislators and support H.433 to provide universal primary care.