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Health care is guaranteed to be a top issue in the 2008 presidential election. It’s on the minds of voters, and Democratic and Republican candidates have proposed plans reflecting their vision of how to address the crisis in our nation’s health care system.
With so many candidates, and sharply different visions of the problems and how to address them, it can be hard to sort out the real facts about presidential candidate health care proposals.
Our new AFL-CIO comparison chart looks at the proposals of seven Democrats and six Republicans to see what they’d do as president to tackle America’s health care crisis.
We’ve evaluated these proposals based on the AFL-CIO’s principles for meaningful health care reform:
- Does the proposal cover everyone?
- Does the proposal guarantee a choice of health care plans and providers?
- Does it control costs?
- Does it ensure that health care is high quality?
- Does it provide preventative care?
- Does the government have a role in ensuring low cost, high quality and fairness for all?
- Does it provide for shared responsibility among employers, families and government?
Our comparison chart is an in-depth, comprehensible way to understand what these health care plans really mean for you as a consumer.
For more on the health care crisis, visit the AFL-CIO’s health care campaign. For more on the 2008 election, visit Working Families Vote 2008.
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Before you vote, and even before you investigate the candidates’ platform in this useful article, be sure to go to AARP’s website regarding health care. At http://www.thisissoridiculous.com you can stay informed, watch a video, send emails to the powers that be, and most importantly, sign a petition to make your voice heard. There are many elements involved in health care resources and we are currently in the huge crisis regarding coverage for our fastest growing population of seniors. Since we all plan on being a senior one day, we need to take responsibility to take action now to preserve our future. Only then can we vote responsibly and smart on the candidates who represent the health care crisis as part of their platform.
HR 1322 is a start to the Health Care crisis in America. Everyday, retired Union member’s Benefits are eroding and in some instances, stopped. HR 1322, The Emergency Retiree Health Benefits Protection Act is an addendum to the 1974 ERISA Law. HR 1322 will protect the earned benefits of retirees so that health care benefits will not be reduced or eliminated after retirement. Go to ProtectSeniors.Org to support this Bill now in Congress. Write and visit your Congressman to co sponsor this vital bill.
Whoa! Just a minute! The AARP? Ya’ gotta’ be kiddin!
You mean the same AARP that fronts for UnitedHealth Group? (That’s the outfit that rewarded its CEO with $1.6 billion - yes billion - in stock options on top of his multi-million dollar annual salary. What did the CEO do to deserve such “generosity”? He saved the company billions! How? By denying claim payments! Lawsuits against UnitedHealth abound.)
You mean the same AARP that carried the water for a GOP scheme called Medicare Part D? The one that rewards the pharmceutical industry with huge profits while prohibitng the government from negotiating lower costs with the drug cartel? The one that lapses coverage for the portion of seniors who need more prescriptions than others? You mean that AARP?
Go peddle your insurance somewhere else. There are already too many apologists for the status quo. We certainly do not need a faux “senior” lobby hustling for insurance carriers.
The answer is HR 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act.
The answer is NOT making already rich and scheming insurance companies richer and more scheming.
To read the truth about our nation’s health care crisis go to Healthcare-NOW.org
P.S. I am a member of the Alliance for Retired Americans. We opposed the phony Medicare Part D baloney as currently enacted.
Well looking at the Republican’s “plans”… they just don’t get it.
Same song, different verse.
The Democrats plans are pretty much keeping the same course we are on now also. Not universal, tax breaks here and not there.
Kucinich has the best laid out plan. Rep. John Conyers’ HR 676 eliminates for profit health care by the corporate greed mongers.
HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.
HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs.
Too bad the National AFL -CIO does not endorse it.
676 has been endorsed by 338 union organizations in 48 states including 93 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 26 state AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR & GA).
Ditto True Democrat. It is embarassing that AFL leadership has not fought for HR676 at the national level nor in for CA SB 840.
Onecarenow.org has two great videos, in part paid for by Laborers’ Local 300 and AFSCME DC 36, one on SB 840 as a Single-Payer solution and what that means for medical/finacial affairs (22 MIN.)and a second one on the largest Health Care Rally in CA history August 11 on The LA City Hall steps with Lt Gov Garamendi, LA Council Pres. Garcetti, Sen. Kuehl, LA FED leader Maria Elena Durazo and comedian Lily Tomlin (hilarious).
Of course without Labors’ cover electeds are afraid to challenge Insurance Company War chests. When will our leaders step up and lead and not just act like bureaucrats waiting for pensions?
Well said. The AFL-CIO needs to endorse HR676. This is ridiculous. As long as employers are required to pay health care, it will have to be part of all contract negotiations. With health care off the table once and for all, we can concentrate on what’s killing all of us. Free trade and outsourcing. Seems that Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate who wants to pull out of NAFTA and the WTO. Why would ANY union support anyone else? If NAFTA is not repealed soon, we will end up in a North American Union with the U.S. and Canada working for Mexican wages. With Bush’s “Security and Prosperity Partnership”, enacted in secret without Congressional oversight, the next step will be a NAU. Say goodbye to the U.S. Constitution forever. Bush and Cheney have been destroying the Constitution since they’ve been in office. They need to be impeached. Seems that Dennis Kucinich is the only one trying to Impeach these criminals. I know who I’m voting for.
I do belong to various organizations, some I agree with others I don’t! I do this for a reason to get the whole story not just one side of the story. My 45 years as a community activist has taught me that everyone has an agenda and what is important to one is not always important to the majority. Healthcare is very important to me! So is Social Security, Medicare etc. I find that we have been talking about socialized medicine and healthcare since I can remember and until we find a plan that includes everyone paying their fair share into it, it will never happen. I read most everthing on these issues and see a lot being said but very little being done. Both Congress and a new president has to get real and spend more of our monies on our people instead of the great USA give away to everyone else.
I found the comparison chart very helpful. Comparing the Dems plans with the Rethugs was quite humorous. Although my union, National Association of Letter Carriers endorsed Clinton, I agree with Louky and fight4you, that HR 676 should be supported by all.
Our next negotiation is going to be all ablout the health plan, FEHB, and how the Postal Service wants the union to take it over. It would benefit all concerned to have a single-payer system like the rest of the world has. Most large businesses would pay a smaller tax like the Medicare copayment if that’s what it took to get rid of the health care costs that they shoulder today.
Although Clinton and Edwards and the rest are really just nibbling at the edges of universal health care, those plans are still a huge improvement over what we have now, and so far out in front of Republicans that it is laughable. I mean, how is a tax credit going to help pay the copayments for a catastrophic illness?
The chart is far from complete. It pisses on the Kucinich Plan (HR 676). I guess that’s because some of labor’s leaders do not want to step on the toes of Hillary, Barack or John. Bedises, too many want to amend the status quo into an amended status quo. The current system is in crisis. Anything other than HR 676 will guarantee we’ll still wind up in a crisis, only it will be “amended” crisis. Whoopie!
One fact that always gets left out of any explanation of the various plans is that the Kucinich Plan already exists! All the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s have been crossed. The other “plans” are nothing more than outlines. Beware of the yet-to-be-included fine print!
C’mon AFL-CIO you can do better. 99 times out of 100 workers will take the correct path if the facts are honestly presented to them. Two key words in the preceding sentence are all-important: “facts” and “honestly”.
Finally….for anyone going into negotiations, allow me to offer this question: How many negotiating committees enter bargaining asking for just half of what is needed? (Yes, that is a rhetorical question.)
Why, then, would anyone “demand” that a presidential candidate promise only half of what is needed?
Having sat on numerous industry-wide union negotiating committees, I know that you never demand less than what is needed. America needs single-payer, comprehensive, universal health care. HR 676 is the plan plan that guarantees that. Why settle for 1/2?
I believe as many of these others that HR 676 should be supported by all and especially the AFL-CIO,but I won’t hold my breath until they do.This organization is so far out of touch with the rank and file it’s not funny.I believe the Carpenters International did the right thing by getting out.I think many other International Unions should do the same.They do not speak for me.
Respectfully, the comparison charts contain a major error. John Edward’s plan truly covers everyone, because it contains a mandate that everyone will be covered. Obama’s plan will make something available to everyone, but with no mandate there will still be millions left with no coverage. Hillary says her plan will mandate coverage, but she does not say how that will work, so as far as we know today - her plan will leave millions uncovered. Edwards covers everyone. He provides choices for individuals between government paid plans, and private plans that will be more competitive because of his overall program. The choices are there, so there will be an excellent chance that his plan will have enough support nationally to be passed, but prices will be held down, or free for those who cannot afford to pay, and everybody will be covered. Everybody.
Voluntary coverage will not work for health care, just like it does not work for auto insurance. This is why Edwards plan is the best!
Mandatory healthcare insurance does not provide anyone with universal healthcare! Further more it just guarantees the healthcare maggots more profit at our expense!
Of all the presidential candidates, Kucinich is the only one with the cojones to oppose the war, oppose NAFTA, and support H.R. 676!
The leadership of the AFL-CIO (and SEIU and Teamsters too) are in fact out of touch with the rank and file with their six figure salaries! Why would they care if the average Joe has no healthcare insurance?
I helped get the San Antonio Labor Council and subsequently the Texas AFL-CIO to support 676. If Texas labor can do it, so should the National! Clinton is owned lock stock and barrel by the healthcare monopolies! My vote goes to Dennis Kucinich!