Tarrant’s healthy idea
Brattleboro Reformer
October 26, 2005
IDX co-founder Richard Tarrant may be running for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in 2006, but when it comes to health care, he has some ideas that are quite different from the same old things we hear from the Republican Party.
Tarrant’s company, which was recently purchased by General Electric for $1.2 billion, specializes in creating computer software for the health care industry. Through his work with IDX, Tarrant says he has a unique perspective on the health care issue.
“I’ve spent 35 years in it,” Tarrant told the Reformer during a meeting with the editorial staff on Monday. “I’ve seen a lot of different health care plans.”
Unlike many Republicans, Tarrant thinks single-payer health care isn’t a terrible thing. One reason why is that, at least for the elderly and the poor, the United States already has a form of it.
“Medicare is a bureaucracy, but it is one of the most efficient bureaucracies out there,” said Tarrant.
Because Medicare works in this regard, Tarrant would like to see it expanded so that the uninsured, small businesses and farmers could participate. It would be means-tested, with premiums based upon the ability to pay. Those who want to participate can do so, or stick with the current private insurance plan they might have.
Ultimately, Tarrant said, he would like Medicare, the elder health care plan, to merge with Medicaid, the health care plan for the very poor. This merger would make providing insurance more efficient.
“You have one plan for Medicare and a different plan in 50 different states for Medicaid,” said Tarrant. “And every state is having trouble paying for it. Medicaid can only be fixed on the federal level and I can see both programs eventually merging.”
Tarrant’s vision of a limited single-payer health insurance system functioning side-by-side with the current free market system is an intriguing idea. Although he didn’t discuss how it would be funded, his proposal certainly doesn’t reflect conservative orthodoxy.
His thoughts on health care may be a sign that Tarrant, who is better known for being one of the richest people in Vermont than for being a political thinker, may have some fresh ideas for next year’s Senate race.
http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8854~3106021,00.html
Comment: Single payer advocates will be quick to point out that allowing a parallel private health insurance system defeats some of the efficiencies and equities of a single payer system. But what a shift in health policy views for a Republican!
It is anticipated that Independent Bernie Sanders, a very popular Vermont politician and outspoken single payer supporter, will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate. It may be that Tarrant’s statement on single payer is defensive posturing. But even if so, it is gratifying to see that a successful Republican businessman recognizes the validity and credibility of the single payer model.