Single Payer Infiltrating The United States?!?

by Stuart Shapiro

No, communist agents have not infiltrated our highest level of government (nor Canadian agents).  Instead it is the democratic process at work.  Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin campaigned in part on a pledge to move his state toward single-payer health care.  He won and has a sympathetic legislature to work with.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who is leading efforts to create a single-payer healthcare system in the state. He was voted into office after making single payer a cornerstone of his campaign. “If Vermont can get this right, the other states will follow,” Shumlin says.

Now nationally, Republicans should be elated, right?  They believe deeply in states’ rights (or so they claim).  And they also believe that single payer is a system destined for failure so having Vermont adopt it should show the nation the wisdom of the anti-single payer views.  However, I think we will see Republican opposition from the highest levels.  Because it isn’t the possible failure of single payer that motivates conservatives, it is the fear of its potential success.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.