[Beragagnu]

Burlington Free Press: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...e-reform-bill-

Optimistic that the rain would hold off and Vermont’s health reform bill would make history, Gov. Peter Shumlin stood on the steps outside the Statehouse Thursday and signed a law that puts Vermont on the road toward a universal health care system.

“We gather here today to sign into law the first single-payer system in America,” Shumlin said.

The new law doesn’t make the jump to a government-financed system soon — it could be five years before such a change could take place. Instead it sets in motion dozens of studies intended to inform decision-makers that include the Legislature and a new regulatory board that will be formed later this year.

Supporters, many wearing the red shirts of “health care is a human right” campaign organized by the Vermont Workers Center, arrived early to share observations and information via a national video link with interested groups across the country.