Obama pledges help on health coverage
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Barack Obama listened intently Wednesday as 65-year-old Sandra Burt poured out her troubles, a recent retiree and her husband without the money to cover a $2,900 monthly drug bill or even a full load of kerosene for heat.
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President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry are offering distinct plans to help Americans cope with the rising costs of health care.
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Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry Monday said we need a fresh start on health care in America, and he outlined his plan to help middle-class families by cutting costs and expanding access to quality care.
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled a sweeping universal health care plan Monday that includes an individual mandate requiring each American to have health insurance. Individuals could keep their current coverage or pick from the same menu of private coverage options available to members of Congress, and the plan would provide refundable tax credits to help individuals pay their premiums.
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Yesterday's piece on health care and the presidential election got a great response, and some of it from Republicans, using the slogans and logic I hoped they wouldn't. But that's okay, it helps me focus my rhetoric on the precise point of disagreement, and hopefully by illuminating it, I can either convince some of the Republicans to come over to my side, or help eliminate some of the confusion on both sides. Or maybe it'll just keep the argument from slopping over into all kinds of irrelevant issues. The basic Republican argument goes like this. Why should I pay for the health needs of people who are so irresponsible as to not have health insurance.  If I got it wrong, please set me straight. Now I'd like to answer this, very carefully. The Democrats aren't proposing that you should pay for the uninsured. Key point. They either agree with you, or know that they're not going to get their proposal passed unless they take this into account. The Obama plan says you don't get care unless you have insurance. His proposal aims to get a lot more people insured. Clinton goes one step further, by requiring everyone to have health insurance.  Also, you already pay for the health needs of the uninsured. Whether you or I like it, we don't look the other way when someone is in need. You may feel the system should work differently, but that's not responsive to the proposal the Democrats are making. The debate is how health care works for the non-indigent.  If you have property, a car, a house, or if your kids go to private school or college, or if you want to take a vacation, or have a baby, or exercise between jobs, getting sick without insurance is a sure way to go from being middle class to being poor, quickly. This is why we have health insurance, to smoothe out the risk, to protect our family's lifestyle. It seems to me it's a good thing. It's the market solving a basic human need.  So this is what we should be discussing, how can we get insurance for all the people who want it, or should we require it for everyone -- this is the debate of 2008. This is what the Democrats are putting on the table, and what McCain, or whoever is the Republican nominee, will have to respond to, if we're going to have the respectful debate everyone is talking about having.  Why is this such a problem?  A lot of people, even healthy people without pre-existing conditions, can't get health insurance. And what if you have a pre-existing condition? Do you really think it's cool for the insurance industry to refuse them coverage? Why is that a good thing? I honestly don't get it. Consider the penalty for not having insurance. (See above.) So far the leaders of the Republican Party have managed to keep health care off the national agenda, but this year, it's there. If you doubt me, just ask a few people you know, and don't just ask poor people or Democrats, ask Republicans. Disease isn't a party issue, and while poor people tend to have poorer health, even well-off people need health care. And most people can't afford to pay for a catastrophic illness, and enough of them can't get health insurance to make this an important national issue. If you disagree with this, please let me know why. PS: Phil Windley asks where it stops. Should we provide free housing for the homeless? And what about free cable TV for people without cable TV? (He provides other examples.) No, this is only about health insurance. It's not about any of the other things mentioned in Phil's post.
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Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, whose first attempt at a health care overhaul fell flat 13 years ago, unveiled a broad proposal on Monday to require health insurance for all Americans and make it more affordable.
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CHICAGO -- Barack Obama, D.-Ill., took the podium to thank his supporters and proclaim victory in the US Senate race and promised to help Illinoisans work together.
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Sen. Barack Obama visited one of the world's worst slums Sunday, where he told residents he wants everyone in America to know about their plight and promised to push the U.S. and Kenyan government to help.
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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards wants to provide health care for the 47 million people who currently lack it and reduce the cost of coverage for middle-class families
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Democrat Barack Obama said Thursday night he is running for president to help those who are working harder for less but don't think anyone is listening to them. Fresh from a presidential debate in Des Moines, Obama joked of his performance: "I thought I was perfect."
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Teresa Heinz Kerry campaigned here and across the country all week outlining her husband&#39;s promise to offer health care to all children, to reduce insurance premiums and
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The Bush administration sought Wednesday to turn a coming debate over children's health insurance into one that focuses on helping all of the uninsured.
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On health care, President Bush says he stands with the doctors and Americans who are struggling to find affordable medical services. Democrat John Kerry says Bush has stood idle as medical bills have skyrocketed during his presidency.
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Eighteen months before Election Day, candidates in both parties are promising to overhaul the system and cover more of the 44.8 million people without insurance.
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Barack Obama, who criticized big spending by outside groups that boosted his rivals in Iowa and New Hampshire, is getting some help of his own these days as the campaign moves on to delegate-rich Feb. 5 contests.
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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday released a plan that would provide all children and adults access to health coverage, but stops short of mandating universal coverage.
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_Has pledged to enact universal coverage as president, but has not yet offered details of a plan.