Vermont Health Care

Those looking for a copy of the bill originally passed by the House and now under review by the Senate can be found here. There is some question as to how universal this plan will be; Vermonters can opt out under this plan and there is some concern about how this plan will work if you're covered by Green Mountain Health and you get sick out of state.

I was interested to hear that Governor Jim Douglas dismissed the poll done by WCAX (where a solid majority want universal care) as "inexpensive" and not very scientific. Man, I know a lot of polls that fit that bill. Douglas is perhaps choosing the limits of his vision carefully. His friends in DC will not be happy if Vermont gets universal health care, which is fine by me.

In fact, the WCAX poll reflects numbers seen across the board throughout the nation. While this country has often rejected the idea of universal health care, attitudes appear to be changing. I just read Pew Research polls published at Tapped, for example, that show among both Dems and GOP, there is a majority in all groups except "GOP enterprisers" wanting access to affordable, universal health care. Before, universal care was strictly a "Dem" concept and sometimes, not even a majority of Dems supported it. But as the level of care in the US has changed and costs rose staggeringly, this has changed. Mr. Douglas, in dismissing the WCAX poll, would do well to look at the Pew Research numbers. I've seen similar numbers elsewhere, but Pew's are the latest.