Candidates clash on health care
Erica Tuggle
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: News
This is the last in a series of articles concerning the views and policies of the presidential candidates from the two largest parties. The series will continue through the Nov. 4 election
Early voting lines and presidential candidate tension are growing in these final weeks before the election, and the candidates' stances on health care issues are in the spotlight for voter scrutiny.
According to Sen. John McCain's Web site, the candidate has proposed changing the tax code on health insurance benefits provided by employers so they can become ordinary taxable income. The revenue gained from this would then be used to provide a $2,500 tax credit for an individual or a $5,000 tax credit for a family to use to purchase personal health insurance.
Clifton Cleaveland, an adjunct professor and former medical doctor, discussed the candidates' platforms on health insurance in the University Honors Program's panel on election issues Tuesday.
With Sen. McCain's plan, the insurance industry regulations would be loosened and insurance companies would be permitted to sell their services across state lines. Cleaveland said because of this Sen. McCain's plan predicts the competition and choice generated by these actions would lead to greater variety and efficiency and lower health care coverage.
According to Cleaveland, the problem with the McCain health care plan is it will allow people to buy insurance across state borders, which will lead them to gravitate to the cheapest and most under regulated plans.
According to Sen. Barrack Obama's Web site, Obama's plan promotes universal access, although there is no mandate for universal coverage except in the case of children.
Cleaveland said, under Obama's plan, businesses would have the option of either providing health insurance as a benefit for workers or contributing to a new public program, which would provide insurance for employees.
According to Sen. Obama, plans to establish a National Health Insurance Exchange that would offer insurance for individuals and small companies.
Cleaveland said, just like in Sen. McCain's plan the poor and unemployed would receive subsidies to buy into the public plan and no insurer could exclude anyone on the basis of pre-existing health conditions.
Obama's plan will implement electronic medical records, which will increase patient safety and record accessibility, according to the his campaign Web site.
Cleaveland said, "Every year health care costs exceed the rate of inflation. If [the candidates] don't find a way to contain them, any reform plan will be stressed and fail."
Fouad Moughrabi, head of the political science department, said this is a crisis in which candidates should certainly intervene. "It is absolutely shocking, in a rich country there are millions of uninsured who cannot get health care... it is shocking to hear people can go bankrupt if they get sick."
Early voting lines and presidential candidate tension are growing in these final weeks before the election, and the candidates' stances on health care issues are in the spotlight for voter scrutiny.
According to Sen. John McCain's Web site, the candidate has proposed changing the tax code on health insurance benefits provided by employers so they can become ordinary taxable income. The revenue gained from this would then be used to provide a $2,500 tax credit for an individual or a $5,000 tax credit for a family to use to purchase personal health insurance.
Clifton Cleaveland, an adjunct professor and former medical doctor, discussed the candidates' platforms on health insurance in the University Honors Program's panel on election issues Tuesday.
With Sen. McCain's plan, the insurance industry regulations would be loosened and insurance companies would be permitted to sell their services across state lines. Cleaveland said because of this Sen. McCain's plan predicts the competition and choice generated by these actions would lead to greater variety and efficiency and lower health care coverage.
According to Cleaveland, the problem with the McCain health care plan is it will allow people to buy insurance across state borders, which will lead them to gravitate to the cheapest and most under regulated plans.
According to Sen. Barrack Obama's Web site, Obama's plan promotes universal access, although there is no mandate for universal coverage except in the case of children.
Cleaveland said, under Obama's plan, businesses would have the option of either providing health insurance as a benefit for workers or contributing to a new public program, which would provide insurance for employees.
According to Sen. Obama, plans to establish a National Health Insurance Exchange that would offer insurance for individuals and small companies.
Cleaveland said, just like in Sen. McCain's plan the poor and unemployed would receive subsidies to buy into the public plan and no insurer could exclude anyone on the basis of pre-existing health conditions.
Obama's plan will implement electronic medical records, which will increase patient safety and record accessibility, according to the his campaign Web site.
Cleaveland said, "Every year health care costs exceed the rate of inflation. If [the candidates] don't find a way to contain them, any reform plan will be stressed and fail."
Fouad Moughrabi, head of the political science department, said this is a crisis in which candidates should certainly intervene. "It is absolutely shocking, in a rich country there are millions of uninsured who cannot get health care... it is shocking to hear people can go bankrupt if they get sick."
