Vermonters will not be part of a single-payer healthcare system.
Gov. Peter Shumlin had hoped to create the first state-based single-payer system in 2017, but skepticism from both state lawmakers and constituents has halted the idea.
“This is not the right time” for enacting single payer, Shumlin said in a statement.
Shumlin cited the big increases in taxes Vermonters would see that would be required to pay for the plan.
“These are simply not tax rates that I can responsibly support or urge the Legislature to pass,” the governor said. “In my judgment, the potential economic disruption and risks would be too great to small businesses, working families and the state’s economy.”
Federal funds available were also $150 million less than expected, Shumlin added.
Another player in the process was economic Jonathan Gruber, the Obamacare consultant who called voters “stupid.” Gruber was until recently a consultant for the system, but state officials ended his service after video emerged of Gruber disparaging critics of Vermont’s plan, saying, “Was this written by my adolescent children, by any chance?”
Shumlin had missed two financial deadlines before releasing a proposal he called “detrimental.”
“While now is not the right time for Vermont to take such a step, the time will come,” Shumlin said.
