Thursday, August 25, 2011

Wendy Wilton's Scary Health Care Statistics--and What you can do

Wendy Wilton, Rutland City Treasurer, has calculated on her own--without any taxpayer funded grants--the cost to taxpayers of Green Mountain Care.  Green Mountain Care, as you may know, is the name of the government health care program that is supposed to fund all uninsured Vermonters' health care.  The legislature passed Green Mountain Care last session, but postponed until after the 2012 election publication of  any analysis of the cost of this monstrosity.  Wendy Wilton, using the figures readily available to our legislators, was able to come up with an estimate of the cost shortly after the legislature adjourned in May, 2011.  Hmmm...wonder why the legislature is  not able  to complete their analysis until more than 18 months after Wendy was able to perform that feat?  Is it possible that the timing is related to the 2012 election?  We report. You decide.  Wendy's analysis should make every Vermont taxpayer ill.  She calculates that, conservatively speaking, even with a 14.5% payroll tax to fund Green Mountain Care  and even assuming that IBM and other self insurers will pay the 14.5% payroll tax, in addition to providing health insurance for their employees (not likely allowed under the Federal   ERISA preemption statute), there will be a first year shortfall of   over $123 million dollars  If Vermont's self insurers do not pay the payroll tax--the more likely scenario because of ERISA preemption-- then the shortfall is $477 million  in the first year alone.

Vermonters have a right to know, before they elect the next legislature,  how much Green Mountain Care is going to cost.  Here is what you can do:  Sign the petition asking the legislature to make public the cost of Green Mountain Care by September 2012.  Better yet, print the petition and get your friends and neighbors to sign. Every Vermonter of every political stripe will want to know this information in order to make an informed choice in November 2012.

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