Health Care Policies Of Obama And McCain - UMB Healthcare Services' Dennis Triplett Provides A "Real-World" Comparison

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 17 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PST

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Dennis Triplett, president of UMB Healthcare Services, a division of UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF), provides expert insight into the 2008 presidential candidates' health care policy platforms in his white paper entitled "The Great Debate: Government v. Consumer-Directed Health Care." This paper presents a "real world" side-by-side comparison of Senator Obama's and Senator McCain's positions on health care reform and the key challenges facing the U.S. health care system.

Triplett, chair of America's Health Insurance Plans' (AHIP) HSA Leadership Council, draws upon his extensive experience in the health care industry to analyze the candidates' starkly different proposals and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. He contends that, regardless of party affiliation, the key challenges facing the U.S. health care system are three-fold:

- How can we provide adequate care to people who cannot afford it and lack insurance?
- How can the U.S. economy afford the continuing growth of health care spending?
- What roles should government and consumers play in making health care decisions?

In the paper, Triplett states: "The premise of the health care debate comes down to whether consumers or the U.S. government will make decisions regarding the direction of health care. Yet, it seems that voters are not making this important policy decision … this coming fall will truly mark a distinctive fork in the health care policy road."

In addition to Triplett's position with AHIP, he is also the president of UMB Healthcare Services, a charter member of the American Banker's Association HSA Council, and a board member of the Employers Council On Flexible Compensation.

For a copy of "The Great Debate: Government v. Consumer-Directed Health Care," please go to: http://www.umbdennistriplett.com.

About UMB

UMB Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: UMBF) is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., offering complete banking, asset management, health spending solutions and related financial services to both individual and business customers nationwide. Its banking subsidiaries own and operate 135 banking centers throughout Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Subsidiaries of the holding company and the lead bank, UMB Bank, n.a., include an investment services group based in Milwaukee, Wis., single-purpose companies that deal with brokerage services and insurance, and registered investment advisors for proprietary mutual funds.

UMB Financial Corporation