Some untruths about health care

This is a response to the letter by Bob Zeliff published in Saturday’s Herald. Mr. Zeliff repeats the talking points that have been prepared by single-payer advocate groups. And nearly everything he repeats is incorrect.

He states that I, and by this I assume he means Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, do not like the fact that the state will regulate insurance plans offered through the exchange — this is incorrect. For the exchange to serve its purpose the state needs to set standards and approve all plans offered there.

He then goes on to state that insurance offered outside the exchange will not be subject to state regulation. This is not true. State officials repeatedly said that the same regulatory standards would apply to coverage offered inside and outside the exchange. What would be different are the details of insurance plan design and costing, but not standards of coverage.

Mr. Zeliff then says I complain about Vermonters taking advantage of federal money available to low- and middle-income families purchasing insurance in the exchange, and that these subsidies cannot be “clawed” into the state treasury. Once again he is not correct. Multiple administration officials have repeatedly said that the state intends to redirect these support payments away from the low- and middle-income Vermonters and into the State Health Care Reform Fund to help fund Green Mountain Care, the experimental government monopoly single-payer program scheduled to start in 2017.

In addition to misrepresenting the positions of Vermonters for Health Care Freedom and misrepresenting the facts, Mr. Zeliff then employs the tactic of attacking the messenger by questioning VHCF’s funding. VHCF does not release our funders list to protect the hundreds of Vermont small businesses and health care providers who support us from bullying and economic blackmail at the hands of those who cannot tolerate someone voicing a perspective they do not share.

Vermonters would be best served if the advocates of this reckless reform stuck to the facts and answered their critics. Their unwillingness to do so tells us much about the strength of their arguments.

JEFF WENNBERG

(Executive director,

Vermonters for Health Care Freedom)

Montpelier