Vermonts Single-Payer Healthcare System Is the Cure for America's Ailing Healthcare

Everybody in, nobody out is the slogan of Vermonts Single-Payer Health Care system. Funded through edi!are, edi!aid, an in!rease in ta"es, and through Vermonts a!!e#tan!e of federal funding via $bama!are %&C&', the system (ill be o#erational by )*+,. -nder the #lan, Vermonters (ill be able to go to any do!tor or hos#ital in the state free of !harge. .here (ill be no more #remiums, dedu!tibles, and !o#ays. .here (ill be no multifa!eted #lans to de!i#her, no insuran!e forms, and no got!has from #rivate insuran!e #roviders. edi!are re!i#ients (ill no longer need to sort out enrollment o#tions from an in!h-thi!/ handboo/. oreover, (hen they re!eive a #ay raise, Vermonts (or/ers (ill be #leased to find they (ill no longer e"#erien!e health benefit !ost in!reases that in the #ast (ould ma/e any #ay raise in effe!t null and void. Senator 0ernie Sanders %1-Vermont' believes that if Vermont !an sho( that they are #roviding !ost-effe!tive health!are for all its residents, ta/ing the health!are burden off small business as (ell, Vermonts su!!ess (ith a universal single-#ayer health!are system (ill lead the (ay for the nation to follo( suit. &C&s intent at the outset (as to ena!t a la( that (ould #ut into #la!e a universal single-#ayer health!are system. 1nstead, &C& (as the result of !om#romise in order to get the la( #assed. 1n the end, not a single 2e#ubli!an voted for &C& even though the la( made many !on!essions to them, (hi!h be!ame its do(nside be!ause it still relied on #rivate insuran!e !om#anies to #rovide health!are !overage. Fortunately, &C& #rovides states (ith the ability to setu# their o(n health!are #lans. 1t #rovides states (ith federal funds to e"#and edi!aid. States (ho !hoose to e"#and are able to im#lement their o(n state e"!hanges %Health 1nsuran!e ar/et#la!es'. %.he federal health!are e"!hange (as setu# to offer health!are insuran!e under &C& to the residents of those states (ho !hose not to e"#and under &C&.' .hat means &C& o#ens the door for states to setu# their o(n universal single-#ayer health!are system. 0ut, so far, states that !hose to a!!e#t federal funding under &C& only have !hosen to

offer their o(n health!are e"!hanges. Vermont is the only state to ena!t a single-#ayer #lan. -nder $bama!are, the -nited States (ill #robably still be the most !ostly system !om#ared (ith other nations, and even though our health!are out!omes might im#rove, out!omes (ill remain not as good. So, all eyes should be on Vermont be!ause the only long-term solution to &meri!a3s health!are !risis is a single-#ayer national health!are #rogram.