http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/donald-berwick-single-payer-massachusetts-governor-obamacare
On his first day as governor of Massachusetts, Donald Berwick promises to set up a commission tasked with finding a way to bring single payer to the Bay State. It'll have report back to him within a year -- ideally sooner.
Having run Medicare and Obamacare in Washington for 17 months, he has concluded that the existing hybrid system is too cumbersome and expensive, and that single payer is the right fix. And he's the only candidate in this year's contest who dares to go there.
"The Affordable Care Act is a majestic step forward for this country -- for the only nation that hasn't made health care a human right yet. But luckily I'm in a state that's able to take even a bigger step," Berwick told TPM in an interview. "And a single payer option -- even if the country is not ready for it, I think Massachusetts is ready and it's worth exploring."
A political novice, Berwick is an underdog candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2014 elections -- the most outspoken progressive in the race. A pediatrician, Harvard health policy professor and former health care executive, his talent for -- and obsession with -- health management caught the eye of President Barack Obama, who in 2010 appointed him to be the Administrator of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which was tasked with getting Obamacare off the ground in its infancy. Berwick left in December 2011, after his recess appointment expired and Senate Republicans refused to confirm him.
"I've been looking hard at the Massachusetts budget and I've become more aware than ever of how the rising costs of health care are taking opportunity away from other investments," he said. "I saw it in Washington, and I see it in Massachusetts. We need to find money for transportation, education, the social safety net. ... And so I feel a sense of urgency about getting costs under control without harming patients at all."
