Vermont's Single-Payer System to hit Dustbin of History

[SCFinfan]

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2014/12/17/shumlin-right-time-single-payer/20547557/

Apparently, their governor is shelving it because the state couldn't absorb the tax hit.

[Fau Teixeira]

oh .. that's too bad .. i'm sure we'll work out a way to make it work eventually ..

it all boils down to the simple question "is health care a right or a priviledge" .. how we answer that as a society will impact what kind of system we create

[SCFinfan]

oh .. that's too bad .. i'm sure we'll work out a way to make it work eventually ..

it all boils down to the simple question "is health care a right or a priviledge" .. how we answer that as a society will impact what kind of system we create

Not necessarily. I believe it to be a right. I would prefer all to have equal access to it. However, I don't know that single-payer is necessarily the best system to do that if the tax burden/waiting times are such that they affect the majority of people in a negative way. Healthcare may be a right, but, it costs real money. Until you grapple with the money issue, talking about rights or privileges is a sideshow...

[Fau Teixeira]

you have it backwards .. you define what .. before you figure out the how.

[Rich]

Singlepayer will not work in the U.S.

Most approaches to healthcare will not work, but singlepayer most of all.

As long as we continue polluting our bodies with what the FDA deems acceptable for human consumption, any healthcare system we have will fail.

And that is the risk with considering healthcare a "right" in the U.S. Ideologically and philosophically it sounds like a no brainer. But when you look at what we put in our bodies, practically it makes no sense.

[Phishfan]

I'm going to have Italian sausages with onions and peppers tonight and healthcare will be the last thing on my mind when I do.

[Spider-Dan]

As long as we continue polluting our bodies with what the FDA deems acceptable for human consumption, any healthcare system we have will fail.

It sounds like you're in favor of more aggressive government regulation of the food and drug industries.

[Sunstroke]

It sounds like you're in favor of more aggressive government regulation of the food and drug industries.

It sounds like he's in favor of more aggressive government regulation of my dinner...

[mecadonzilla]

It's important to remember he's a little "l" libertarian. A big "L" libertarian would be totally against the sort of regulations he's totally for this week.

[Spider-Dan]

Any "l" libertarian is against the FDA, as libertarians (of either stripe) believe that the invisible hand of the free market will self-regulate businesses.

The companies that produce subpar and/or contaminated products would go out of business.  And sure, some consumers might die in the process, but hey, freedom isn't free!

[Rich]

It sounds like you're in favor of more aggressive government regulation of the food and drug industries.

The FDA currently heavily regulates the food and drug industries but they only seem to allow food and drugs that will harm us while they shut down organic milk farms and prevent medicines that actually CURE things from making their way into the U.S.

Nice try.

[Rich]

It's important to remember he's a little "l" libertarian. A big "L" libertarian would be totally against the sort of regulations he's totally for this week.

It's important to utilize reading comprehension.

[Spider-Dan]

You appear to be saying that the FDA should, indeed, have a firm hand in determining what should and should not be allowed to market, but that you disagree with their (current round of) decisions on that subject.

Is this accurate?

[Rich]

Any "l" libertarian is against the FDA, as libertarians (of either stripe) believe that the invisible hand of the free market will self-regulate businesses.

The companies that produce subpar and/or contaminated products would go out of business.  And sure, some consumers might die in the process, but hey, freedom isn't free!

You're working under the flawed assumption that because something is government regulated, it is safer or better.

That's ideal and all, except for the fact that government agencies are run by people, just like corporations. These government agencies need money to operate, just like corporations. The people at these agencies need to get paid, just like corporations. Not all the people that work at government agencies are of the highest integrity, just like corporations.

It is interesting that a government agency like the FDA allows so much garbage to enter our food supply because it benefits corporations and yet makes it difficult for things that are actually good for us to make its way in...

[Rich]

You appear to be saying that the FDA should, indeed, have a firm hand in determining what should and should not be allowed to market, but that you disagree with their (current round of) decisions on that subject.

Is this accurate?

No, I am saying that they already have a firm hand in determining what is and isn't allowed in the market and it hasn't worked out well.