NEJM Perspectives Examine Presidential Candidates' Health Plans, SCHIP Debate

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 27 Nov 2007 - 11:00 PDT

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"Election 2008: Presidential Politics and the Resurgence of Health Care Reform," New England Journal of Medicine: In the NEJM perspective, Jonathan Oberlander, an associate professor of social medicine and of health policy and administration at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, examines the health care proposals of Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. According to Oberlander, the plans proposed by leading Democratic candidates rely on a "pay-or-play" employer mandate to achieve universal coverage. Democrats' plans also would "avoid any explicit budgeting of health care spending or centralized cost controls"; are financed largely by reversing tax cuts adopted by the Bush administration; and "contain provisions designed to reassure Americans" that they retain the ability to make their own choices about coverage. Proposals introduced by Republican presidential candidates call for deregulation of insurance markets, investments in health information technology and expansion of health savings accounts (Oberlander, NEJM, 11/22).

The Fate of SCHIP -- Surrogate Marker for Health Care Ideology?" NEJM: In the perspective, NEJM national correspondent John Iglehart discusses the SCHIP debate and efforts by lawmakers over the past several months to pass a bipartisan SCHIP reauthorization and expansion bill. Iglehart also discusses President Bush's veto of SCHIP legislation, the administration's objections to expanding the program and possible future action on the program (Iglehart, NEJM, 11/22).

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