As for Healthcare…
Kucinich and Edwards have put
together what passes for a reasonable beginning towards universal
healthcare. And Edwards aleady has some
actual union support and
funding. But the corporate press has not seen
fit to talk about Obama’s
plan.
As for Hillary. Her recent appearance on Letterman was telling.
She came out of the closet as the Republican soul (Daddy’s girl) she has always
been. She says those are her real “values.” Frightening. I just hope
union and/or Democratic party officials do not get suckered into backing her
charade.
Scroll down for the specifics of
Obama’s plan which the corporate press claims have not been advanced: (It is
specific, comprehensive, and more complete than either Edward’s or Kucinich’s
plan)
And here are The Wordsmith Collection’s most current updates:
http://www.writingresource.info/healthcareupdate.html
and
related pages:
http://www.writingresource.info/healthcare.html
http://www.writingresource.info/healthykids.html
~~~Barack Obama’s Plan for a Healthy America:
Lowering
health care costs and ensuring affordable,
high-quality health care for
all
Pauline Taylor, 55, a nurse who lives in Iowa City and is a member of SEIU
Local 199, a health care workers’ union, [said], “He touched on all the
highlight”s…(Obama’s plan) is wonderful.” Taylor said she liked the emphasis on
preventative care and getting more generic medications on the market. A nurse
for 33 years, Taylor said she has seen what happens when medical conditions go
unchecked for years. “People will not put off going to the doctor for so long,”
she said.
-Iowa City Press Citizen 5/30/07
Barack Obama believes we live in the greatest country in the world and that
when it comes to health care, America can and must do better. The Obama plan
will save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on premiums by:
Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health
coverage
for every American:
Modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care
costs and improve the quality of patient care; and Promoting prevention and
strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and
man-made disasters.
Quality, Affordable & Portable Health Coverage for
All
1. Obama’s Plan to Cover the Uninsured. Obama will create a new national
health plan to allow individuals without access to affordable insurance to buy
coverage similar to that available for members of Congress. The Obama plan
will have:
Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away because of illness or
pre-existing conditions.
Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to the Federal
Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), and cover all essential medical
services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals who
do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need assistance will receive an
income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a
private health care plan.
Simplifying paperwork and reining in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The
new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to
coverage.
Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National
Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job
without changing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency.
Participating insurance companies will be required to collect and report data to
ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and
administration are being met.
2. National Health Insurance Exchange. Obama will create a National Health
Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase private insurance.
The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance
market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to
ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible.
Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and
stable premiums. The Exchange will require benefits comparable to those offered
in the new public plan. Insurers would be required to justify an above-average
premium increase. The Exchange would evaluate plans and provide information
about differences between them.
3. Employer Contribution. Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful
contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be
required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national
plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
4. Mandatory Coverage of Children. Obama will require that all children have
health care coverage.
5. Expansion of Medicaid and SCHIP. Obama will expand eligibility for
Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
6. Flexibility for State Plans. Obama’s plan allows states to continue
innovating on health care reform.
Modernizing the U.S. Health Care System to Lower Costs and Improve
Quality:
1. Reducing Costs of Catastrophic Illnesses for Employers and their
Employees. Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of
medical expenses for private insurers. The Obama plan would reimburse employer
health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a
threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers’
premiums.
2. Lowering Costs by Ensuring Patients Receive and Providers Deliver Quality
Care.
Helping Patients
Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health
care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as
diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Obama will require that
providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal
Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management
programs.
Coordinate and integrate care. Over 133 million Americans have at least one
chronic disease and these chronic conditions cost a staggering $1.7 trillion
yearly. More than half of Americans with serious chronic conditions have
multiple physicians, leading to duplicate testing and conflicting treatments.
Obama will support greater integration and coordination of care for those with
chronic conditions.
Require full transparency about quality and costs. Obama will build on his
efforts in the U.S. Senate and Illinois State Senate to ensure that patients
receive accurate information about hospital and provider quality. Obama will
require hospitals and providers to collect and publicly report measures of
health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors,
nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in
care.
Ensuring Providers Deliver Quality Care
Promoting patient safety. Obama will require providers to report preventable
medical errors, and support hospital and physician practice improvement to
prevent future occurrences.
Aligning incentives for excellence. Both public and private insurers tend to
pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality
or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public
plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be
rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.
Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent
institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that
Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information
they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.
Harnessing the power of genetic medicine. Genomics has the potential to
revolutionize the practice of medicine, but despite significant scientific
advances, very few genomics-based tests or treatments have reached consumers. As
President, Obama has a plan to overcome the scientific barriers, adverse market
pressures, and outdated federal regulations that have stood in the way of better
medicine.
Tackling disparities in health care. As a United States Senator, Barack Obama
has fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health
at the Department of Health and Human Services and helped spearhead legislative
efforts to address gender and ethnic health disparities. As President, Obama
will continue to challenge the medical system to eliminate inequities in health
care through quality measurement and reporting, implementation of effective
interventions such as patient navigation programs, and diversification of the
health workforce.
Reforming medical malpractice. Obama will strengthen antitrust laws to
prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance,
and will promote new models for addressing physician errors that improve patient
safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and reduce the need for
malpractice suits.
3. Lowering Costs through Investment in Electronic Health Information
Technology Systems. Obama will invest $10 billion over five years to move the
U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health
information systems. Obama will ensure that patients’ privacy is protected.
4. Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug
Markets.
Increasing competition. The insurance business today is
dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their
rivals. Obama will prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through
unjustified price increases and force insurers to spend more funds on patient
care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration.
Lowering prescription drug costs. Pharmaceutical companies
are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans
more than double the price. Obama will allow Americans to buy cheaper medicines
from other developed countries if the drugs are safe. Obama will also repeal the
ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies for the
Medicare prescription drug benefit, which could result in savings as high as $30
billion. Finally, Obama will work to increase the use of generic drugs in
federal benefits programs and prohibit drug companies from keeping generics out
of markets.
On Tuesday in Iowa City, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democrat,
announced his [health care plan]… one aspect is particularly
noteworthy: It includes limits on the profits of private-sector health-care
businesses. He believes that’s the right move for consumers, but it risks
offending some powerful interests. He did it anyway. That tells voters something
important about him.
-Editorial, Des Moines Register,
6/1/07
Promoting Prevention and Strengthening Public
Health
Obama’s emphasis on reducing waste and inefficiencies and
increasing spending on prevention appealed to Dr. George Weiner, director of the
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at UI. The cost of providing health care to
those without insurance often is more expensive than prevention would have been,
he said. “I’m excited about his plan and others,” Weiner said.
“The time is
right for universal health care.”
-Cedar Rapids Gazette, 5/29/07
Barack Obama believes that protecting and promoting health and
wellness in this nation is a shared responsibility among individuals and
families, school systems, employers, the medical and public health workforce,
and federal, state, and local governments.
1. Employers. An increasing number of employers are offering worksite health
promotion programs and insurance plans that cover preventive services. Obama
will support and expand these important efforts.
2. School Systems. Obama will work with schools to create more healthful
environments for children. He will work to get junk food out of vending machines
in schools and improve nutritional content of lunches through financial
incentives, increase grant support for physical education, expand federal
reimbursement for school-based health services, and provide grants for health
educational programs for students.
3. Workforce. Obama will expand funding - including loan repayment, adequate
reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure support to
improve working conditions - to ensure a strong workforce that will champion
prevention and public health activities.
4. Individuals and Families. The way Americans live, eat, work, and play have
real implications for their health and wellness. The Obama health plan will
require coverage of essential clinical preventive services such as cancer
screenings and smoking cessation programs in all federally supported health
plans. Obama will also increase funding to expand proven community-based
preventive interventions.
5. Federal, State and Local Governments. Governments at all levels should
develop a national and regional strategy for public health that includes funding
mechanisms for implementation. Senator Obama also supports greater organization
of the 3,000 health departments in this nation and supports collaborative
arrangements between government and the private sector. The Obama plan will also
force government to examine its own policies, including agricultural,
educational, and environmental policies, to assess and improve their effect on
public health in this nation. As president, Barack Obama will prioritize these
activities to strengthen prevention and public health, as well as fight for the
following initiatives:
Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 40 million people across the
planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global
leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines
to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a
large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global
AIDS battle.
Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects
approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental
Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100
billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that
coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and
conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000
American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can
cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems,
and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will
protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be
lead-safe within five years.
Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million
women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and
approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a
plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans,
lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
Support Americans with Autism. More than one million
Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of
impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As
diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have
been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to
help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He
has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for
autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we
should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to
truly ensure that no child is left behind.
More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum
of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community,
and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and
our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic
individuals and their families.
Barack Obama Wants to Hear Your Ideas on Health
Care
Share your voice on these issues by using our MyPolicy tools.
With the help of your insight, Barack will further develop his health care plan
to take into account our common experiences and build the political momentum to
enact real reform.
http://www.barackobama.com/
National healthcare reform legislation is on the radar:
the so-called
“Conyers Bill,” introduced by Rep. John Conyers, Dennis Kucinich, and some
others that essentially creates a mechanism for extending Medicare to all.
The resolution is pretty self-explanatory:
http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_hr676.htm.
Universal Health Care
Issues & Options
Universal health care gains
traction
The U.S.
Constitution is clear and unambiguous: “Congress shall have power to
provide; for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union,
suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.” (Article 1 Section 8 Clause
15.)
Dear
Friends,
Too many necessary (even essential) disciplines .gif)
.jpg)
He provides a bridge between conservative ideas
and liberal traditions. He inspires America with his intelligence,
charisma, and plain-spoken honesty. He has the wisdom and humility to
build a cabinet which includes the best and brightest in our nation. He
intends to reconnect America with traditions of civic-engagement and hope.
His calls for equity, economic justice, and fair play… will
revitalize the American dream.
