Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

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2008 Elections

Democrats on Health Care

 

Hillary Clinton
Everyone should have exceptionable and affordable health care regardless of their preexisting conditions. There are three parts to health care reform: lowering costs, improving quality and making sure everyone is insured. This candidate’s health care strategy would give every American the right to choose the type of health care they want. Caps should be placed on how much insurance companies charge people, depending on the person’s income. A national health care plan is preferable to state-by-state health care … more | Other issues | Bio

 

Barack Obama
Every American has the right to affordable health care. Plans to add to and improve current system of coverage. Plan includes leaving Medicare for the elderly, but providing those that are uninsured or unhappy with their health insurance an affordable plan much like the coverage given to members in Congress. For those unable to afford the health plan they will receive a subsidy. Believes in guaranteed eligibility and mobility of health insurance independent of the participant’s job. To ensure quality of health care, providers will be required to give reports regarding standards, technology and administration. Plan is projected to cut average family’s health care costs by $2,500 … more | Other issues | Bio

 

Mike Gravel
Critical to the issue of health care, according to Gravel, is removing the burden from the business community and making American products more competitive in the world marketplace. Using part of the progressive Fair Tax, which seeks to replace the Internal Revenue Service and income tax with a national retail sales tax, Gravel says the U.S. government could offer universal health care for all citizens at no cost using health care vouchers. All citizens would have to do is sign up for the program and choose one of five insurance plans and/or a Medicare-type plan. At the Democratic Health Care Forum in Las Vegas in March, Gravel noted the vouchers would have “a very modest co-pay.” Because his voucher plan would cover all Americans and factor in expenses for factors like age, Gravel believes in phasing out Medicare and Medicaid … more | Other issues | Bio

 

John Edwards (dropped out)
You can’t have universal health care for 47 million people who don’t have coverage without finding a source of revenue. His plan: Businesses should be required to either cover their employees or help finance their health insurance. New tax credits should be created, Medicaid and SCHIP should be expanded, insurance laws should be reformed and health care costs should be contained. Regional “health care markets” would be created to let every American share the bargaining power to buy an affordable, high-quality health plan, increase choices among insurance plans and cut costs for businesses offering insurance. Once those steps are taken, every American would be required to get insurance … more | Other issues | Bio

 

Dennis Kucinich (dropped out)
Under a Dennis Kucinich administration, universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care would be available. His plan is to get rid of for-profit health insurance companies that make up 31 percent of health care spending would save the industry 365 billion dollars. This savings would be enough to cover everyone in the country according to Kucinich … more | Other issues | Bio

 

Bill Richardson (dropped out)
Working families and small businesses will be able to purchase coverage through the same plan that members of Congress enjoy. Everyone who needs coverage will get an advance refundable tax credit based on income. Everyone will be required to have health insurance coverage and employers will pay their fair share… more.| Other issues | Bio

 

Joe Biden (dropped out)
Within the first 90 days of administration, he would gather fundamental groups involved with health care including businesses, providers and government to put into action affordable health care. Two basic tenants of his health care plan include coverage to all children and providing catastrophic health insurance. In order to push universal health care, insurance agencies must first undergo reform. Through a reform, Americans would have access to affordable health care provided in the form of a buy-in plan reflecting that of the federal employees insurance planmore | Other issues | Bio

 

Chris Dodd (dropped out)
Within the first 90 days of administration, he would gather fundamental groups involved with health care including businesses, providers and government to put into action affordable health care. Two basic tenants of his health care plan include coverage to all children and providing catastrophic health insurance. In order to push universal health care, insurance agencies must first undergo reform. Through a reform, Americans would have access to affordable health care provided in the form of a buy-in plan reflecting that of the federal employees insurance planmore | Other issues | Bio

 

— Las Vegas Sun new media managing editor Dave Toplikar and interns Jenna Kohler and April Corbin contributed to this report.

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