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Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont announced on Wednesday that his state would not pursue single payer health care in this coming legislative session. Shumlin blamed a sluggish economy for his decision. The taxes required for single payer would prove too burdensome for Vermont, a state that has downgraded its revenues twice this year. (Alpert, 12/17)

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday dropped his plan to enact a single-payer health care system in his state — a plan that had won praise from liberals but never really got much past the framework stage. “This is not the right time” for enacting single payer, Shumlin said in a statement, citing the big tax increases that would be required to pay for it. (Wheaton, 12/17)

Calling it the biggest disappointment of his career, Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday he was abandoning plans to make Vermont the first state in the country with a universal, publicly funded health care system. Going forward with a project four years in the making would require tax increases too big for the state to absorb, Shumlin said. The measure had been the centerpiece of the Democratic governor's agenda and was watched and rooted for by single-payer health care supporters around the country. (Gram, 12/17)