Vermont for Single Payer

05/31/2026

https://www.investopedia.com/healthcare-costs-increase-at-the-fastest-rate-since-the-covid-pandemic-11979643
“Healthcare costs for people with employer-sponsored insurance plans are rising at the fastest rate since the pandemic.
“Pharmacy costs, driven by high-priced drugs such as weight-loss medications, are the largest contributor to rising healthcare expenses.
“Employers are shifting more healthcare costs to workers, with employees now paying a larger share of premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.”

The average healthcare costs rose the most in 2026 since the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by higher pharmaceutical expenses and outpatient services, as well as lower employer contributions.

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

ER Visit; IV Fluids; Ultrasound; Drugs. Total Cost: 80 US Dollars
https://www.upworthy.com/he-went-to-the-er-in-taiwan-then-his-horrors-of-socialized-medicine-post-went-viral-ex1/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSG6fxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFJTGZnb2p1ekd1SUFUODVxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoz3slEU_xGeoexKPWqgCu9PRMe4Tu2303c6pajAbI4VWJwL-N93aoMEt1Sz_aem_uwUq17bOxzTROlMIOIqcsg
“According to an American student who shared the story of his ER visit in a Taiwanese hospital, Americans are being taken to the cleaners when we go to the doctor. We live in a country that claims to be the greatest in the world, but where an emergency trip to the hospital can easily bankrupt someone.
“Kevin Bozeat, a 25-year-old student at the time, had that fact in mind when he fell ill while studying in Taiwan and needed to go to the hospital. He didn’t have insurance and he had no idea how much it was going to cost him. He shared the experience in a now-viral Facebook post he called ‘The Horrors of Socialized Medicine: A first hand experience.’
…
“Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) is a single-payer system that covers all residents of Taiwan. Foreigners can take part in the system immediately upon obtaining a work permit, or after six months of living in the country. As a student, Bozeat hadn’t lived there long enough to be eligible yet.
” My Taiwanese roommate called a taxi and took me to the ER at NTU Hospital,” Bozeat wrote. “I was immediately checked-in by an English speaking nurse. Within 20 minutes I was given IV fluids and anti-emetics. They took blood tests and did an ultrasound to ensure it wasn’t gall stones or appendicitis. From there I was given a diagnosis: a particularly severe case of Acute Viral Gastroenteritis (aka the stomach flu). After about 3 hours on an IV, I began to feel slightly better, my nausea disappeared and my stomach began to calm down.”
“Bozeat was discharged with a prescription for anti-emetics and pain medication, and after a few days he was back to normal. This is when most of us would start panicking as we wait for the hospital bills to arrive. But Bozeat was pleasantly surprised:
“The bill for the ER visit?…US $80.00. Eighty. American. Dollars. Out of pocket. Full cost. No discounts. No insurance. At one of the best hospitals in Taiwan. And if I had NHI, it would have been a fraction of that. This could have easily cost me hundreds or even thousands in the US without insurance. But here in Taiwan I was able to receive speedy, quality care comparable to what I would have gotten in a US hospital for relatively small amount of money.”

According an American expatriate who shared the story of his ER visit in a Taiwanese hospital, Americans are being taken to the cleaners when we go to the doctor. We live in a country that claims to be the greatest in the world, but where an emergency trip to the hospital can easily bankrupt someone...

05/28/2026

Private health insurance expansion leads to poorer overall public health
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260522/Private-health-insurance-expansion-leads-to-poorer-overall-public-health.aspx
“Our findings suggest that an increase in private health insurance uptake leads to poorer health in the population over time."
“The negative health effects on the population as a whole outweigh the benefits that private health insurance provides to individuals.”

People with private health insurance can jump the public healthcare queue by using private health services instead. Is there really anything wrong with that?

05/27/2026

Economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman did the math. Replacing our current system with would result in a net pay raise of thousands of dollars for most workers, even after factoring in the additional taxes needed.
Details: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/25/medicare-for-all-taxes-saez-zucman

05/27/2026

https://vtdigger.org/2026/05/21/opinion-when-prior-authorization-becomes-prior-aggravation/
“Dr. Jack Resneck, a dermatologist and former AMA president, described a prior authorization rejecttion for a medication that had transformed a patient’s severe eczema. The insurer’s reasoning: The patient’s condition had improved too much to qualify. ‘You have to take the patient off the medication, let them flare, let their disease get terrible, let them start missing work again,’ Resneck said, ‘and then we’ll approve it.’”

Insurance red tape is delaying care, driving up costs and consuming hours of physicians' time — and patients are paying the price.