With a pivotal presidential election looming and in an effort to discuss issues of importance to students, SUNY Oswego studentsAndre FieldsandTim Farnsworthwill present an issue a week and the position of the leading nominees,Democrat Barack Obama andRepublican John McCain.
Andre Fields discusses Barack Obama's health care policy
Senator Barack Obama has made fixing the health care system in this country a top priority. Time and again on the stump, in debates, and everywhere else that we see the first term Illinois Senator, he has consistently mentioned that this will be a lead issue in his administration.
(View what Senator Obama had to say in the 2nd Presidential debate about health care as a right, responsibility or privilege)
Obama’s health care plan is simple. One of the major concepts is that it will save families $2,500 annually through a combination of different things already in the system and will be able to expand coverage to all Americans. Under his plan Americans will get to control just about everything. For example
* His plan will not tell you which doctors to see or what treatments to get.
* His plan will increase choices that Americans have.
* If you don’t have insurance, under Senator Obama’s plan you can sign-up for a public plan, which many federal employees and members of congress have.
* His plan will allow you to sign up for a “national health exchange”
Now the best part of his plan is that the insurance company can't drop you just because you get sick.
Many are asking how much will this plan actually cost. Senator Obama has projected it to cost around $50-65 billion a year when it fully developed. He has stated that he will pay for it by rolling back the tax cuts that the Bush administration for all people making more than $250,000.
Tim Farnsworth discusses John McCain's health care policy
Senator McCain’s most controversial issue is healthcare. The main component to McCain’s healthcare policy is a tax credit to individuals and families who decide not to take their employee healthcare policy or do not have employer based healthcare insurance. Individuals would receive a $2,500 credit and families would receive a $5,000 credit that will help offset healthcare cost (McCain's Healthcare Policy). This credit would allow individuals and families to seek out insurance that fits their needs instead of only being able to afford the insurance that is provided by their employer, which can be limited. This credit will not cover the entire cost of the insurance policy; it is not designed to. It is designed to help individuals and families afford health insurance. The key is to make healthcare affordable by creating competition (Business Week).
In addition to the tax credit, McCain has stated that he would be in support of deregulating laws that hinder individuals and families from purchasing health insurance from companies that are located in different states. The breaking down of state boundaries create more choices for Americans and forces insurance companies to be competitive in the fear of losing customers to another insurer in another state. Opening up choices in other states where a “product” might be cheaper only makes sense when trying to lower cost.
There have been many questions raised about McCain’s Healthcare policy. I invite you to look at his response to many of these questions: McCain's Website Answers Accusations
