I agree with Mr. Davis’s commentary on H.156. It certainly deserves to be taken off the wall and testimony from Vermonters needs to be heard.
I disagree with his statement that there are not enough Vermonters who agree that we need single-payer publicly paid and privately delivered health care. As usual, the problem is the money to make such a big change. Now we rely on individual insured individuals to meet the needs of all Vermonters.
Corporations, the state of Vermont and our Vermont educational system all are able to pay reduced rates while individuals are hit hard by private insurance rates. We are very lucky to have Medicare and Medicaid programs in Vermont that meet the needs of many individuals. However, there are still those who fall through the cracks.
If one is really sick, there is very little a poor person can do other than just not seek care and die so his/her family will not go bankrupt. We are the only non-Third-World country where people have to hold a fundraiser to pay hospital bills when really sick.
Millionaires and billionaires need to pay their fair share of taxes in order to counteract the number of people in poverty in the USA and all around the world. Health care should be considered a social service and not a way for Wall Street investors to make huge profits while doctors and nurses are being underpaid and leaving their
professions because of horrible working conditions and low pay and benefits.
Mary Alice Bisbee
Montpelier
Former hospital and nursing home social worker.