MEDISCARE
By
Richard Davis
Hopefully this will be the last round of lies and fear-mongering before a final health care reform bill is drafted and passed. Don’t hold your breath.
Those who would like to see no reform at all, including the insurance and pharmaceutical industries as well as their staunch allies in congress who get re-elected because of the tons of money the industries give them, have been trying to stir up seniors.

POOR PROSPECTS
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- When it first became clear that there would be a major push for national health care reform this year I set my sights low. Realizing that whatever comes out of Washington is compromised to death, it seemed that a few bits and pieces of insurance reform would be the best we could hope for. It would mean the rest of the country would have some of the benefits we already have in Vermont.

WHAT’S ON THE TABLE?
By
Richard Davis
GUILFORD- Confusion reigns as the American people try to make sense of what is happening during the great health care reform debate of 2009. Politics, sound bites and emotional rage are capturing the attention of the media and what we are seeing and reading amounts to little more than breathing in the stench and smoke after a series of bombings.

If there was a top ten list of reasons why we should eliminate all private health insurance companies, transparency would be my vote for number one. On July 7 it was revealed to the Vermont Health Care Commission that commercial insurance carriers Blue Cross and MVP will not be seeking rate increases for the nearly two year old product they offer, Catamount Health.

Those of us working to push the legislature to make good on their promise of expanding health care reform efforts that began in 2006 knew we might lose some ground because of the budget crisis. Of course, that didn’t stop us from formulating changes we knew should be made in order to preserve the quality of life for some of Vermont’s more vulnerable citizens.

On March 17 Vermont hosted one of five regional Health Care Summits, events to keep the momentum going from the March 5 White House Health Care Summit. Governor Douglas and Governor Patrick of Massachusetts were the official hosts, presumably because their states have charmed the Washington inner circle into believing that they have figured out how to get health care reform right.

PERSPECTIVE By Richard Davis GUILFORD- Even progressive thinking President Obama will offer plans for health care reform that allow the private market to compete with public health care plans. It seems that the United States is doomed to stand out among civilized nations of the world as the only place where profit will always reign supreme. Doomed, because market forces create tremendous inequity in the health care system. There are 15 non-profit hospitals in the state, excluding the State Hospital and the VA Hospital. They range in bed size from 19 at Otis Health Care to 562 at Fletcher Allen.

THE PHARMACY THREAT
By
Richard Davis
How about another reason not to re-elect Governor Jim Douglas? He seems to have moved from Mr. Smiley ribbon cutter extraordinaire to the budget cutting version of Jack The Ripper in one swift move. Apparently he likes cutting things. No matter if it means that people might suffer and die. Maybe we can find a part for him in a revival of West Side Story when he finally leaves office.

TAXES
By
Richard Davis
GUILFORD- Taxes make societies civil and humane. They are the responsibility we have to each other. Yet, American society seems to look at taxes as something that must always be cut or even eliminated.

EVEN PESSIMISTS CAN HAVE HOPE
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- Even the chronically pessimistic can create a wish list for a better world in 2009. Part of me knows that the same scoundrels will continue to try to do all of the same dirty deeds as their historical predecessors. But I also believe that there is a great deal of hope for meaningful change as we head into the era of the Obama administration.