President Obama wasn’t kidding when he promised to prioritize health care for kids during the campaign with the passing of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Bill which is seen by many as the first step towards a bigger reform for America’s faltering Health Care System. The new bill expands the coverage of state sponsored health insurance to many children who failed to meet previous requirements making access easier and better. It does not only allow coverage to more residents but reaching out to non-residents as well which hails praise from the many minority groups who live and work within the US without proper documentation.
Children are the ones who suffer most from the health care system’s shortcomings for the rising costs of health care leaves their parents without any options. Living illegally in the US was also one of the major factor to many deaths of children whose parents were scared to bring in their children to health care facilities for fear of losing their jobs and being deported out of the country. With this thrilling news, children are going to get the care they need when they need it and hopefully change for the rest of the system would follow. Just hope all the tricks would be pulled by the current administration for with the lagging economy, funding would be the determining factor of success or failure for the proposed reforms to the health care system.
December 15 2008 | 2008 Proposals-Presidential Candidates and Election 2008 and General Info | Comments Off
With the elections so close, people are beginning to look more closely at the promises and proposals the candidates make. One proposal we should pay attention to are their health care proposals, since it’s something that would intrinsically affect all of us. NEWSWEEK’s Mary Carmichael has written a comprehensive article, consulting with Katherine Swartz, a professor of health policy and economics at Harvard.
McCain’s plan: to take away the tax break workers get on health insurance at their jobs, and give people who buy their own insurance $2,500 ($5,000 for families) in tax credits.
Their prediction: Low-income people would have a hard time getting affordable insurance on their own. In the long run, employers would probably stop offering health insurance, and more people would end up uninsured than there are now.
Obama’s plan: An insurance exchange that looks like the Health Connector used in Massachussets. Every plan would have a minimum set of benefits, and you would get a subsidy if your income is below the threshold.
Their prediction: The total cost will be more than the estimate. His requiring insurers to cover pre-existing conditions would probably raise premiums. Although children and more people would be covered than there is now, some adults will continue to be uninsured
September 30 2008 | 2008 Proposals-Presidential Candidates and Election 2008 and General Info | Comments Off
Voters have identified health care as the leading domestic issue for the government to address and for the presidential candidates to discuss in the 2008 campaign. In particular, voters would like to hear the candidates’ positions on reducing the cost of health care and health insurance and expanding coverage to the 47 million uninsured Americans.The presidential candidates vary greatly in the extent to which they have discussed health care issues to date. Some have issued detailed proposals or have indicated that proposals are forthcoming. Others have articulated positions on specific health care issues or critiqued the positions and plans of other candidates in response to questions but have not offered their own proposals. continue reading »
February 10 2008 | 2008 Proposals-Presidential Candidates | Comments Off