Akron Beacon Journal Examines Health Care Proposals Of Major Presidential Candidates

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 12 Sep 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The Akron Beacon Journal on Thursday examined the health care proposals of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). According to the Beacon Journal, although both candidates agree that too many people are uninsured and that health care costs are too high, they "agree on little else."

McCain has proposed to replace a tax break for employees who receive health insurance from employers with a refundable tax credit of as much as $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families for the purchase of coverage through their employers or the individual market.

J.B. Silvers, director of research for the Health Systems Management Center at Case Western Reserve University, said, "(McCain's) underlying philosophy is, the market will (improve) only if we get out of the way and make things level; and the system is biased because it's done through employers and we want to correct that and get employers out of the deal." Jennifer Tolbert, a policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said, "Young, healthy people would not face difficulties in finding affordable insurance," adding, "However, people with any sort of health condition and those who are older may have some difficulties."

Obama has proposed to require employers to offer health insurance or pay a percentage of their payrolls into a federal fund to provide coverage, with an exemption for small businesses. Subsidies would be provided to lower-income people to help them obtain coverage. In addition, the proposal would establish a health insurance "exchange" that would offer people a choice between private insurance plans and a public plan. Insurers would be required to accept anyone, regardless of their health status.

Silvers said, "You can look at it and see what you want to see. Those who support a single-payer system might say, 'Ah, that's it. This is so much better than everything else out there. It will be able to take over the market through the backdoor because everybody will want to choose it.'" He added, "Other people might say, 'It will create more competition, we'll have everything we have right now and no one will be forced into a plan.'" According to the Beacon Journal, the "biggest criticism of Obama's plan is the price tag" (Wheeler, Akron Beacon Journal, 9/11).

New 'Harry and Louise' Ads 'Resonate,' Op-Ed States
New advertisements in which "Harry and Louise" raise concerns about "middle-class Americans falling through the cracks" in the health care system "resonate profoundly in households across" Connecticut, Juan Figueroa, president of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, writes in a New Haven Register opinion piece.

According to Figueroa, although the number of U.S. residents without health insurance "appears to be tipping in the right direction," one in 10 Connecticut residents lacks coverage, an "unacceptable" figure. In addition, many residents who have health insurance lack adequate coverage, and health care costs continue to increase, Figueroa writes.

He adds, "Our elected officials should ... listen to the message of Harry and Louise and take heed" as their "health care woes and the reasons behind them are far from fictitious" (Figueroa, New Haven Register, 9/10).

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.

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