Newspapers Examine Presidential Candidates Clinton, Obama Difference Over Individual Health Insurance Mandate
According to the Washington Post, both the Clinton and Obama proposals reflect a "growing political consensus among Democrats that universal health care can be achieved by subsidizing coverage for low-income people, establishing new purchasing pools to help others buy affordable insurance, and requiring most businesses to offer health plans to their workers or pay a fee." However, the Post reports, "their most striking difference is on whether to require everyone to get a policy." During the campaign, Clinton has emphasized that a requirement on individuals is necessary to cover everyone, and that without such a requirement, some young and healthy people will not buy insurance. If people who are sick end up more likely to buy insurance, "insurers would need to charge higher premiums," the Post reports. Obama has said that people will obtain insurance if it is made affordable (Lee, Washington Post, 2/24).
According to the Journal, the Clinton proposal "holds the upper hand" with many health care policy experts, who maintain that expansion of health insurance to all residents would require a mandate, "short of a government-run, single-payer system." Clinton health care policy adviser Chris Jennings said that Clinton "made the policy choice, not the political choice," with her decision to include a health insurance mandate in her proposal.
However, Obama and other opponents of a health insurance mandate have raised concerns about the financial penalties required for enforcement (Wall Street Journal, 2/23). Opponents also maintain that a health insurance mandate "would not necessarily make insurance more affordable," and that requiring people to purchase insurance that is beyond their means "would be unreasonable, especially if it is seen as a boon for insurance companies," according to the Post. In addition, according to opponents, a health insurance mandate might force the federal government to "ensure that policies meet minimum standards," a requirement that would prompt special interests to "lobby Congress every year to require new benefits," the Post reports (Washington Post, 2/24). Clinton Criticizes Obama Campaign Mailers
Clinton on Saturday in Cincinnati criticized the Obama campaign for the distribution of mailers that she believes include misleading information about her health care proposal. The mailers, which the Obama campaign has distributed for three weeks, state that the Clinton proposal would "force" families to purchase health insurance, regardless of whether they can afford coverage. In addition, they state, "Punishing families who can't afford health care to begin with just doesn't make sense" (Bellantoni/DeBose, Washington Times, 2/24).
Clinton said, "I have to express my deep disappointment that he is continuing to send false and discredited mailings" (Bacon/MacGillis, Washington Post, 2/24). According to Clinton, "Sen. Obama knows that it is not true that my health care plan forces people to buy insurance even if they can't afford it" (Katz, New York Daily News, 2/24). She said, "This is wrong, and every Democrat should be outraged ... Shame on you, Barack Obama" (Bacon/McGillis, Washington Post, 2/24).
Obama spokesperson Bill Burton defended the accuracy of the mailers. He added that Clinton "has said (she) would consider 'going after the wages' of Americans who don't purchase health insurance, whether they can afford it or not" (New York Daily News, 2/24). Other Campaign Events
Both Democratic candidates over the weekend appeared at several campaign events, during which they discussed health care and other issues. During a rally at the Rhode Island College Recruiting Center on Sunday, Clinton said, "I don't understand how anyone running to become the Democratic nominee could not have a plan for universal health care" (DeBose/Bellantoni, Washington Times, 2/25). In addition, during a Dayton, Ohio, rally on Saturday, Clinton said that, although President Bush has promised to help residents cover the cost of health insurance, "we have lived through some of the worst change that any of us have ever seen in the last seven years" (Washington Times, 2/24). At a Columbus, Ohio, hospital on Saturday, Obama said, "Our health care system is turning into a disease care system" (Jeffers/Gillman, Dallas Morning News, 2/24). He also held a health care roundtable at the Ohio State University Medical Center on Saturday (Washington Times, 2/24). Budget Experts Question Affordability of Proposals
Both Clinton and Obama "champion fiscal responsibility on the campaign trail," but they are "promising massive new spending" on health care and other proposals "without providing details on how they'd pay" for them, McClatchy/Miami Herald reports.
According to McClatchy/Herald, such campaign promises "raise concern among budget experts, who aren't hearing much about sources for the money." The number of Medicare beneficiaries will increase from 44 million last year to 58 million over the next decade, and spending for the program, as well as other spending for aging baby boomers, will "start to crowd out other federal spending," McClatchy/Herald reports.
Both candidates have said that they would finance their health care proposals through an end to the war in Iraq, the repeal of tax cuts for higher-income households, and expanded use of electronic health records and other advances in health care information technology (Hall/Talev, McClatchy/Miami Herald, 2/24). Nader To Seek Presidency
Former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" announced that he will seek the presidency as a third party candidate, the New York Times reports. Nader said that he decided to seek the presidency because the major candidates have taken a single-payer health insurance system and other issues "off the table."
He said that he has not decided which party with which his campaign will affiliate (Wheaton, New York Times, 2/25). Editorial
"To listen to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaign in Ohio and Texas is to hear pledges on health care," among other issues, and their promises, although "very appealing," are "almost certainly too good to be true," a USA Today editorial states.
"In 2009, when the next president takes office, the government is expected to spend $400 billion more than it takes in, adding to a national debt that tops $9 trillion," but "Clinton and Obama both offer a long list of new spending proposals that suggests a lack of seriousness in confronting the nation's fiscal condition," according to the editorial. Both "candidates have major new health care initiatives and other spending proposals," and, although "it's hard to come up with a precise price tag given the lack of specifics in many of their proposals, these plans are likely to cost the Treasury well into the hundreds of billions of dollars a year," the editorial states.
The editorial concludes, "Perhaps the winner of the nomination will shift to the center somewhat in the general election," but, without such a shift, the "Democratic platform going into November could be one in which the voters are asked to suspend their disbeliefs and ignore fiscal realities" (USA Today, 2/25). Broadcast Coverage
CNN video of a speech by Republican candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on preventive health care is available online. Huckabee made the speech during a campaign event in San Antonio on Friday (CNN.com, 2/23).
CNN video of a speech by Republican candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) on health care costs also is available online. McCain made the speech during a recent campaign event in Indianapolis (CNN.com, 2/23).
Summaries of additional broadcast coverage related to health care in the presidential election appear below. ABCNews.com "World News": The program on Saturday reported on the Obama campaign mailer. The segment includes comments from Clinton and Obama (Tapper, "World News," ABCNews.com, 2/23). Video of the segment and expanded ABC News coverage are available online.
NBC's "Nightly News": The program on Saturday reported on the mailer. The segment includes comments from Clinton and Obama (Allen, "Nightly News," NBC, 2/23). Video of the segment is available online.
CBS' "Evening News": The segment includes comments from Clinton, Obama and Michael Fauntroy, a professor at the George Mason University School of Public Policy (Cordes, "Evening News," CBS, 2/23). Video of the segment is available online.
NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes a discussion with NPR policy correspondent Julie Rovner about the Clinton and Obama health care proposals (Block, "All Things Considered," NPR, 2/22). Audio of the segment is available online.
NPR's "Morning Edition": The program on Monday reported on the Clinton and Obama health care proposals. The segment includes comments from Clinton; Obama; David Culter, a Harvard University economist and Obama adviser; and Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 2/25). Audio of the segment is available online.
NPR's "News & Notes": The segment includes a discussion with Paul Ginsberg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, about the issue of health care in the presidential election (Chideya, "News & Notes," NPR, 2/22). Audio of the segment is available online. Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Ziare examina candidaþii la preºedinþie Clinton, Obama diferenþa de peste individuale de asigurãri de sãnãtate mandat - Newspapers Examine Presidential Candidates Clinton, Obama Difference Over Individual Health Insurance Mandate - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate