Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Margaret Newton, MD, a retired physician who lives in West Brattleboro.
[R]epublican Rob Roper, president of Ethan Allen Institute, has been claiming that Vermont’s universal health care law, Act 48, and Gov. Shumlin intend to take over Medicare, to administer and alter it. Three years later, we need to look forward, not backward.
After Act 48 was signed into law on May 26, 2011, by the governor, there was some public discussion by him and his administration that they would need to apply for and receive a federal waiver for permission to add the Medicare payments for care rendered/received, to the Green Mountain Care insurance pool of insurance receipts, in order to use this money to help fund the new program. At the time I personally heard no clear statements that it would require a separate act of Congress for this to happen, nor whether Medicare could be modified without it.
This important issue suddenly became national news last November when Gov. Shumlin addressed the Annual Meeting of the Physicians for a National,Health Program in Boston. Commentator Dr. David Himmelstein made the headlines by confronting and reminding Gov. Shumlin of the fact that Vermont would require an act of Congress to allow a waiver for any changes in Medicare.
A month later, on Dec. 10, a press release appeared that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bill, S-1782, was introduced in Congress. If it becomes law, a Medicare waiver would be permitted. This week I telephoned Bernie Sanders’ office and learned that this bill, “American Health Security Act,” has been dormant in the Senate Finance Committee for 10 months with no action. I don’t see this as going anywhere. Besides, the Affordable Care Act safeguards Medicare for at least three more years.
If the Democrats win Vermont in November, we have the chance to pursue universal health care for Vermonters despite the current obstacles and challenges that remain.
So, to seniors (I am also a grateful senior Medicare beneficiary) and the disabled and kidney disease patients who are Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare is safe. The outcome of the Vermont Nov. 4 election will have absolutely no effect on Medicare.
We Medicare beneficiaries have nothing to fear.The state of Vermont cannot administer its program, although Medicare needs major improvements which only the feds can make.
To repeat, Medicare is safe: we should vote our party preference.
However, we must consider another challenge for the long run: If the Democrats win Vermont in November, we have the chance to pursue universal health care for Vermonters despite the current obstacles and challenges that remain. If the Republicans or Libertarians win, we know they will continue to support America’s free market approach to health care: private and for-profit financing, with insurance companies and others, rather than our people, benefiting the most from this business model.
Furthermore, the doctor-patient relationship is being severely strained by the business model of profits before patients. After more than half a century this model has left 50 million citizens under/uninsured. This is acceptable?
In addition, our health care financing system has severely stressed many small business and their owners and their employees. It continues to devour a huge percent of each state’s and federal income. Our economy cannot return to prosperity if this continues. Health care must be made more affordable and cover everyone, as in other civilized nations.
