Thursday, November 8, 2007

What can John Edwards do for your Health Care?

For what we can tell, he can do a lot to help fix the struggling Health Care system in the United States. According to johnedwards.com these are the main points of his health care plan:

  • Families without insurance will get coverage at an affordable price.
  • Families with insurance will pay less and get more security and choices.
  • Businesses and other employers will find it cheaper and easier to insure their workers.
How does John Edwards plan of achieving these goals and helping create Universal Health Care?

  • Requiring businesses and other employers to either cover their employees or help finance their health insurance.
  • Making insurance affordable by creating new tax credits, expanding Medicaid and SCHIP, reforming insurance laws, and taking innovative steps to contain health care costs.
  • Creating regional "Health Care Markets" to let every American share the bargaining power to purchase an affordable, high-quality health plan, increase choices among insurance plans, and cut costs for businesses offering insurance.
  • Once these steps have been taken, requiring all American residents to get insurance.
After reading some of John Edwards' points, Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote, "More than any of the presidential candidates, John Edwards has come up with a specific and plausible plan that provides for health care coverage for all Americans."

Do you agree with Kristof? If yes, why? If no, why not?

5 comments:

Spencer said...

I do agree with the New York times to a certain extent, however, I am more in favor of the health care reform proposed by Mitt Romney.

chloe said...

So, my question is, when he says "require all American residents" is he including the illegal immigrants who aren't registered, don't pay taxes and are a complete drain on the health care system in the U.S. as of right now??? I'm just not sure how he plans on implementing such a plan when illegals are not now required to do a lot of things, but still receive so many benefits.

Unknown said...

He has some interesting ideas, but my two problems with it are

1. We shouldn't ever require everyone to have health care - this is America - let people choose to participate. I am against mandating it. Does it make sense for people not to have it? Not to me - but legislating that is not appropriate I don't think.

2. How do you pay for it? He talks about tax credits, but beyond that it is very, very sketchy and the cost of Universal Health Care is very, very scary!

Anonymous said...

I think people would respond that the money is already in the system. We pay such a huge amount of money for health care each year that we just need to shift what we are paying for.

I agree that people should be able to choose if they have health care under the current way of thinking. This transformation would be more than a law it would be a cultural change. Health Care as a right! That is the way the rest of the world views it. I do not know if I agree with that or not, but I do feel like health care is different than other business because the product is people's lives and well being.

Anonymous said...

Good for people to know.