In today’s Free Press there was an article that is surely not good for Rich Tarrant insofar as the Republican Primary is concerned. The title? “Candidates’ health plans closer than rhetoric suggests”
“There are remarkable similarities between the candidates in terms of the goals they seek to achieve,” said Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
That should seriously make any conservative raise an eyebrow.
In reality, there is one key difference that makes Tarrant’s plan far superior. Under his plan, you can still buy health insurance from private insurance companies. In fact, he proposes to make that system even better by allowing you to purchase from any state (there are huge differences in price from state-to-state) and getting rid of some of the regulation.
Under Bernie’s vision, there will be no private insurers. It will be a single-payer government plan. (But, at least you will still get to choose your own doctors, so that makes it all okay).
Tarrant wants to expand the government Medicaid program to cover lots more people – lots more people. I am not exactly sure where the word Republican fits in here, but I have never really thought of Tarrant as a Republican, per se.
If he wins the Republican primary, I will probably vote for him, though. I would never vote for Bernie Sanders because his views are diametrically opposed to my own. At least Tarrant isn’t a socialist.
If you plan to vote in the Republican primary and want a look at the other candidate, the one whose commercials you haven’t been watching for months, check out “She’s Right” on Friday, July 21 at 5:25 PM, when my guest will be Greg Parke. You can even call in and ask questions.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Will Rich Tarrant do for Vermont what he did for Fletcher Allen Health Care?