Julie Rovner of NPR news asked all the presidential candidates about their individual health plan coverage and the only Republican candidate to respond was John McCain. Giuliani, Huckabee and Romney all refused to say what they use for personal health insurance coverage. Giuliani is a cancer survivor, so I would think it would be hard for him to get private insurance coverage, or is he still covered under his former business, 'Giuliani Partners' with Cobra insurance? We won't know because he wouldn't say, but it would be interesting to see how the advocates of the 'free market' navigate the waters of profit first when it comes to health troubles.
John McCain, another cancer survivor is lucky as a member of the senate he is covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, along with coverage through the Veteran's Administration and his wife's health plan. No worries for McCain if his cancer reoccurs.
John Edwards is covered under a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan his campaign buys to cover his family and campaign workers.
Here is a break down (picture credit to NPR) of who is covered by what insurance and who refused to talk about it.
Here's Giuliani's solution to America's health care crisis:
"America is at a crossroads when it comes to our health care. All Americans want to increase the quality, affordability and portability of health care. Most Republicans believe in free-market solutions to the challenges we face. I believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality of care by increasing competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not tax hikes. We can do it by empowering patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. That’s the American way to reform health care." – Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy thinks the free market will help.
Mitt Romney wants the states to deal with America's health care woes:
Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all, government-run system, we must recognize the importance of the role of the states in leading reform and the need for innovation in dealing with rising health care costs and the problem of the uninsured. By expanding and deregulating the private health insurance market, we can decrease costs and ensure that more Americans have access to affordable, portable, quality, private health insurance.
John McCain's health plan is long, so I won't block quote it, but the bottom line is McCain wants to privatize by allowing veterans to use their VA dollars with private insurers and to have the use of private insurance in Medicaid.
McCain's favorability ratings are the highest among all candidates and he's the one we have to watch; if he receives his parties nomination we'll be in a dog fight again with the country divided 50/50. I also have a nightmare scenario going through my head of McCain picking Lieberman as his running mate and well...McCain is going to be 72 years old. The thought of a potential President Lieberman makes me quite ill.
Huckabee's plan wants to let the private sector find its own way to bring down costs while giving American's more control over their own health plans. Giving us more control over our health plans? Or in other words, we would be more on our own against the profit seeking leeches than we are now.
# The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system.
# We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict.
# We do need to get serious about preventive health care.
# I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.
# I value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
# When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.
# As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.
# Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care.
I'll take any of our Democratic candidates health care plans over the Republicans. Here is a link to each of their health care plans if you don't yet know where they stand:
Barack Obama
John Edwards
Hillary Clinton
Candidates are not listed in any preferential way.
I hope after all the primary bickering is done we can unite strong behind whoever is our nominee and bring him/her home to the WH, because the alternative is too unbearable to contemplate.