Comment: After much study, Vermont has concluded that (bureaucrats + middlemen) isn’t any cheaper than (middlemen + bureaucrats), even when you add in big taxes and fees. Kudos to their governor for being open and honest about their findings.
“Tax hikes required to pay for the system would include a 11.5 percent payroll tax as well as an additional income tax ranging all the way up to 9.5 percent. [Gov.] Shumlin admitted that in the current climate, such a precipitous hike would be disastrous for Vermont’s economy.”
[...] “Shumlin’s admission that the shift to single-payer won’t alleviate rising health care costs — and that it’ll add a bundle of tax hikes — buttresses single-payer’s political opposition.”
[...] “Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, applauded the decision to back off the plans.”
‘…We’ve already spent far too much money exploring this idea, and the discussion has paralyzed our business community.’ ”
Vermont’s Giving Up On Single-Payer Health Care Over Ballooning Costs
by Sarah Hurtubise, Reporter, 12/17/2014