Why should McCain or Obama be President

[OneIn1]

He did say: "Pfff sorry you got in a crash dude but I aint paying for sum bum's healthcare when he destroys his own health and I hit the gym everyday and eat right."

You think this &#&$&$ got a perspective? How did this bum destroy with own health when he got into a crash and wtf does this have to do with you working out? Self-absorbed is correct.

Yea man i did say PFFF as in shit happens and i feel for u man. I said BUM when i was reffering to a BUMMMM not the the man who started the post. Hey bongman sorry u got ur health issues and sorry for ur father but dont tell me u work harder than me and I dont tell me i hav no perspective. Mutha fucka I am 18 years old and lost 3 siblings by the age of six. Countless other things define my perspective but i'm not gunna waste anymore time on the narrow minded.

And working out kinda has to do with ur health, i love how u dont mention about me talking about eating right too but thats alrite bro. If u wanna guess my nex words thats fine but ur wasting ur time. Vote McCain and get on his ass about healthcare but by voting obama he will kill our economy and send more jobs overseas. No way healthcare can work with obama's economic plan.

[rebgirl420]

I dunno, I'm a cancer survivor and I STILL don't believe in Socialised Healthcare.

It's not my job to pay for anyone else but myself (and my family when I have one). If you do not have health insurance you CAN go to the ER. And they WILL allow you to make a payment plan. If your job will not provide you with health insurance then find another job.

The government takes enough of my money for welfare and other socialised programs. I do not mind helping others with SEVERE health issues, however I draw the line with anyone else.

The governement is too big already. Look at the other countries with Socialised healthcare, like Europe and Canada. Have you seen the fucking waits?! I REFUSE to wait 6 months or a CAT scan so skippy McGee down the road can have free healthcare. Canadians are coming to America for health care for christs sake!

It's like, sure everyone will have access to insurance BUT the quality for everyone else's healthcare will go down. Fair? I don't fucking think so.

The government can't even take care of the roads and people want them to take care of our healthcare!? Thats insane! Healthcare is a 1/4 of our economy and people want the government to swoop in and take it over. You think the economy is bad now, oh no my friends it can get a LOT worse.

Wouldn't the smarter thing to do would be to "restore control the the patients themselves". We should embrace the free market! "Use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability".
_____________________________

Here is McCain's plan:

John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform

John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable

John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.

John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.

A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients

John McCain's Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable. John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.

John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP - that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.

John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives. John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.

A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs

John McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on America's families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt small businesses from their employer mandate plans.

CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices. John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.

CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease. Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation's annual health care bill. By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing chronic disease.

COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated care - with providers collaborating to produce the best health care - offers better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients' needs.

GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To Reduce Costs. We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs. We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.

SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking cessation programs.

STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers.

TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.

TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs. We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records, and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.

Confronting the Long-Term Challenge

John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities.

Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions

MYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain's Plan, Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.

FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions.

FACT: Nothing In John McCain's Plan Changes The Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.

FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.

_________________________________
See people, we don't need big daddy government to take over!

[BigWeed]

I dunno, I'm a cancer survivor and I STILL don't believe in Socialised Healthcare.

It's not my job to pay for anyone else but myself (and my family when I have one). If you do not have health insurance you CAN go to the ER. And they WILL allow you to make a payment plan. If your job will not provide you with health insurance then find another job.

The government takes enough of my money for welfare and other socialised programs. I do not mind helping others with SEVERE health issues, however I draw the line with anyone else.

The governement is too big already. Look at the other countries with Socialised healthcare, like Europe and Canada. Have you seen the fucking waits?! I REFUSE to wait 6 months or a CAT scan so skippy McGee down the road can have free healthcare. Canadians are coming to America for health care for christs sake!

It's like, sure everyone will have access to insurance BUT the quality for everyone else's healthcare will go down. Fair? I don't fucking think so.

The government can't even take care of the roads and people want them to take care of our healthcare!? Thats insane! Healthcare is a 1/4 of our economy and people want the government to swoop in and take it over. You think the economy is bad now, oh no my friends it can get a LOT worse.

Wouldn't the smarter thing to do would be to "restore control the the patients themselves". We should embrace the free market! "Use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability".
_____________________________

Here is McCain's plan:

John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform

John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable

John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.

John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.

A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients

John McCain's Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable. John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.

John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP - that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.

John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives. John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.

A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs

John McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on America's families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt small businesses from their employer mandate plans.

CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices. John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.

CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease. Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation's annual health care bill. By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing chronic disease.

COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated care - with providers collaborating to produce the best health care - offers better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients' needs.

GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To Reduce Costs. We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs. We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.

SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking cessation programs.

STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers.

TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.

TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs. We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records, and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.

Confronting the Long-Term Challenge

John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities.

Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions

MYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain's Plan, Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.

FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions.

FACT: Nothing In John McCain's Plan Changes The Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.

FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.

_________________________________
See people, we don't need big daddy government to take over!

Hey rebgirl under McCains plan its not enough. I pay by myself over 8500 dollars annually thats just me alone. My kids and wife are covered under her employers plan thank god. Under his plan Ill get 2500 dollars which will make my cost go down to 6000 annually. I can afford the 8500 and the 2500 dollars off would be nice but what about all the other familys that cant afford to pay. Im not saying give them hand outs but there are people that work hard and cant afford it. I just hope my insurance cost dont go up. I know your going to ask why Im not on my wifes plan I have a pre condition.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

[BigWeed]

Hey rebgirl thanks for posting that plan some of it is good but it needs work just like Obamas need more work on his K+ to you. What they need to do is go after these fucking insurance companys they are the crooks.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

[flyingimam]

Hey rebgirl thanks for posting that plan some of it is good but it needs work just like Obamas need more work on his K+ to you. What they need to do is go after these fucking insurance companys they are the crooks.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

true that.

[rebgirl420]

Hey rebgirl thanks for posting that plan some of it is good but it needs work just like Obamas need more work on his K+ to you. What they need to do is go after these fucking insurance companys they are the crooks.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

I agree.

McCain's plan isn't 100% but it's a start.

And I believe that we do need to change a lot of things when it comes to the insurance companies. I just think that Obama's plan gives the government too much power over something it knows little about.

[thcbongman]

Yea man i did say PFFF as in shit happens and i feel for u man. I said BUM when i was reffering to a BUMMMM not the the man who started the post. Hey bongman sorry u got ur health issues and sorry for ur father but dont tell me u work harder than me and I dont tell me i hav no perspective. Mutha fucka I am 18 years old and lost 3 siblings by the age of six. Countless other things define my perspective but i'm not gunna waste anymore time on the narrow minded.

And working out kinda has to do with ur health, i love how u dont mention about me talking about eating right too but thats alrite bro. If u wanna guess my nex words thats fine but ur wasting ur time. Vote McCain and get on his ass about healthcare but by voting obama he will kill our economy and send more jobs overseas. No way healthcare can work with obama's economic plan.

Guess what dude? Before I got cancer I was working out, eating right (although this should be assumed if you work-out to begin with, should I shit you that you didn't mention about sleeping 7-8 hours a night? ) You know what though? It's positive personal choice and shouldn't give you a right of entitlement.

However you still don't get it. I don't give a shit about McCain or Obama, neither of them will change much. However the words you slinged are straight up ignorant and insulting. You gotta open up your eyes that most people want to work but unfortunate things happen and can't assume everyone getting government money or benefits is a leech or a bum. I'm not denying there a serious problem with the welfare system in America, but its comparing apples to oranges.

Although I do apologize. My initial post came during a time of a lot of stress and I took it out on you.

[dragonrider]

Bigweed posted Obama's healthcare plan in another thread, and here is my summary of the things I think are the main points:

• There will be a new national health plan available to all Americans to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
  
• The plan will have guaranteed eligibility --- no one will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions. To me that is key, because right now if you are already sick, you cannot get into a plan.
  
• Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
  
• Participants in the new public plan will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage. That is another key thing. I know people who stick with the same crappy job because they can't afford losing their coverage if they change jobs.

RebGirl said she thinks Obama's plan gives the government too much control over something it doesn't know much about, and others on these boards have called Obama's plan "socialized" medicine.

What exactly is it in the plan that you think gives government too much control? And how is it that Obama's plan gives more control than McCain's?

What exactly is it in the plan that you think is "socialized"? And how is it that Obama's plan is more "socialized" than McCain's?

I don't think there is anything in Obama's plan that gives government more control than McCain's or makes it more "socialized" than McCain's. I think those charges play on some kind of liberal-Democrat stereotype about big government and socialism that has no basis in fact.

If you are going to make those accusations, please point out specifically what supports those argumants.

Here is Bigweed's post of Obama's plan:

The Problem

Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured because of rising medical costs: 47 million Americans â?? including nearly 9 million children â?? lack health insurance with no signs of this trend slowing down.
Health care costs are skyrocketing: Health insurance premiums have risen 4 times faster than wages over the past 6 years.
Too little is spent on prevention and public health: The nation faces epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases as well as new threats of pandemic flu and bioterrorism. Yet despite all of this less than 4 cents of every health care dollar is spent on prevention and public health.
Barack Obama's Plan

Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All

• Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
  1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
  2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
  3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
  4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
  5. Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
  6. Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
  7. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
  8. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
• National Health Insurance Exchange: The Obama plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, public.
• Employer Contribution: Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
• Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
• Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
• Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.

Lower Costs by Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System

• Reducing Costs of Catastrophic Illnesses for Employers and Their Employees: Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of medical expenses for private insurers. The Obama plan would reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers' premiums.
• Helping Patients:
  1. Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Obama will require that providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs. This will improve quality of care, give doctors better information and lower costs.
  2. Coordinate and integrate care. Over 133 million Americans have at least one chronic disease and these chronic conditions cost a staggering $1.7 trillion yearly. Obama will support implementation of programs and encourage team care that will improve coordination and integration of care of those with chronic conditions.
  3. Require full transparency about quality and costs. Obama will require hospitals and providers to collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care. Health plans will also be required to disclose the percentage of premiums that go to patient care as opposed to administrative costs.
• Ensuring Providers Deliver Quality Care:
  1. Promote patient safety. Obama will require providers to report preventable medical errors and support hospital and physician practice improvement to prevent future occurrences.
  2. Align incentives for excellence. Both public and private insurers tend to pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.
  3. Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.
  4. Tackle disparities in health care. Obama will tackle the root causes of health disparities by addressing differences in access to health coverage and promoting prevention and public health, both of which play a major role in addressing disparities. He will also challenge the medical system to eliminate inequities in health care through quality measurement and reporting, implementation of effective interventions such as patient navigation programs, and diversification of the health workforce.
  5. Insurance reform. Obama will strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance and will promote new models for addressing errors that improve patient safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and reduce the need for malpractice suits.
• Lowering Costs Through Investment in Electronic Health Information Technology Systems: Most medical records are still stored on paper, which makes it hard to coordinate care, measure quality or reduce medical errors and which costs twice as much as electronic claims. Obama will invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records, and will phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT. Obama will ensure that patients' privacy is protected.
• Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets: The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. There have been over 400 health care mergers in the last 10 years, and just two companies dominate a full third of the national market. These changes were supposed to make the industry more efficient, but instead premiums have skyrocketed by over 87 percent.
  1. Barack Obama will prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases. His plan will force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration. His new National Health Exchange will help increase competition by insurers.
  2. Lower prescription drug costs. The second-fastest growing type of health expenses is prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans more than double the price. Obama will allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S. Obama will also repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion. Finally, Obama will work to increase the use of generic drugs in Medicare, Medicaid, and FEHBP and prohibit big name drug companies from keeping generics out of markets.

Fight for New Initiatives

• Advance the Biomedical Research Field: As a result of biomedical research the prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease is better today than any other time in history. Barack Obama has consistently supported funding for the national institutes of health and the national science foundation. Obama strongly supports investments in biomedical research, as well as medical education and training in health-related fields, because it provides the foundation for new therapies and diagnostics. Obama has been a champion of research in cancer, mental health, health disparities, global health, women and children's health, and veterans' health. As president, Obama will strengthen funding for biomedical research, and better improve the efficiency of that research by improving coordination both within government and across government/private/non-profit partnerships. An Obama administration will ensure that we translate scientific progress into improved approaches to disease prevention, early detection and therapy that is available for all Americans.
• Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle.
• Support Americans with Disabilities: As a former civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.
  
  Barack Obama is also committed to ensuring that disabled Americans receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. Recognizing that many individuals with disabilities rely on Medicare, Obama worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the department of health and human services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that the Medicare recipients were protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents.
• Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
• Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.
• Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
• Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.
  
  More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community, and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic individuals and their families.

Barack Obama's Record

• Health Insurance: In 2003, Barack Obama sponsored and passed legislation that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults. In the U.S. Senate, Obama cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.
• Women's Health: Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

I want you to read this and Ill post more tonight I have plenty for you and I like this debate I hope you will continue it with me. I also have some more of Mccains plans as well. I love knowlegde also so keep it comig.:rasta::rastasmoke:imp:

[dragonrider]

Many employers who offer employer based insurance work under a blanket policy; which means that everyone is covered. I sold insurance for a short while in my life (I hated it.. I had a moral dilemna about it) So I do actually know something about it.

I know you said you sold insurance and actually know something about it, but I do not think the term "blanket policy" or "blanket insurance" means what you say it does. I don't think that term applies to health insurance at all.

I think "blanket insurance" means coverage for more than one type of property at one location or one type of property at more than one location, and it applies to property/casualty insurance, not health insurance. An example would be if a chain store wanted to insure all its store locations.

When a company provides health insurance or life insurance to all its employees, without making each one qualify individually, I think it's called "group insurance," not "blanket inusrance."

[grow1964]

My apologies in advance, this is going to be along post but one that I feel is important for people to understand.

Its interesting that I posted about this very subject on another board about a week ago. Since it is all fresh in my mind I will point out a few things that many haven't figured out yet.
1st, It matters little who the president is. He has has the option to pass or veto legislation but your congresscritters are the ones who ultimately do the writing of these things. There's also little difference between dems and republicans anymore. In the end they all want the same thing. Socialism.

There's another thread here asking about what freedoms we have lost. I was going to post there but decided this was a better place to make some points.
How about the freedom to take care and provide for myself without government interference? How about personal choice? Do i really need the government o do everything or provide everything for me? There's a pattern here. The more you ask of government the more they will provide and the more they will tax and the more they will destroy.
Remember the power to tax is the power to destroy and a government that is big enough to give you everything is also big enough to take it away.


Now to get down to the facts.
26% of the US is on food stamps. 30% of the US will be retired in the next 30 years. The us had a federal debt load of over 10 trillion dollars. Unfunded liabilities for SS medicare and medicaid are around 55 trillion right now and its not even spoken about by either of the candidates..

Why does all of this matter? Because in order to pay off all this debt we are already carrying every man woman and child in the US would need to write a check to the government for 175,000.00 today. I'm sure many of you have that extra cash lying around but I don't. You'll see how all of this ties in shortly.

Lets look at insurance.. What a fiasco. Ok, heres the deal. This is how insurance should work. First car insurance. If I decide I want to carry insurance to protect my assets that a personal choice. If I don't have any assetts why should I need to carry any insurance. The popular argument seems to be , what if you have an accident and dont have insurance? The answer is I get sued for damages. What if the other guy gets hurt, who's going to pay for him? Did the other guy have insurance? Did he have assetts to protect? If he had something worth protecting then it is his responsibility to get insurance if he so chooses.
In order to understand this fully you also have to understand wh was responsible for getting these insurance laws passed. The lawyers and the insurance companies. Why? Because the lawyers need someone to sue. If i dont have insurance, and I dont have any assetts is there much incentive for an attorney to take a case? He may never get paid. If he is suing the ins. companies he is gaurenteed a payday.

Why do insurance companies want everyone to have ins? It lowers their risk exposure. If there wasn't a mandatory requirement than probably 1/2 or more of all the people would drop their insurance. Now the insurance companies would have to manage their risk very carefully.

What happens now when an 18 yo gets into an accident and does 500k in damage? Yes his rates go up but the reality is he will never pay 500k in premiums for his entire life!!! So the same kid gets back in his car a year later knowing that all that happened last accident was an increase in his premiums. He now goes out and gets into another accident and costs another 500k . Insurance company is now on the hook for a million from this one person. 2 things to be learned from this. 1) The kid obviously isnt going to be driving more careful. there's no incentive to. 2) The insurance company will get their money back just not all from him. How? Higher premiums for everyone. Basically we have socialized insurance already.

I know the popular argument is that its better this way because if you get really hurt then at least you will get your medical bills paid and get a settlement out of it. My response to that is it is your responsibility to make the decision to carry that insurance or not. If you have awife and kids and a house and other assets than of course it makes a lot of sense to carry insurance. If not then you should at least have the ability to decide if you want the risk or not. Its called freedom to choose.

Health insurance. Same basic principle. Carry it or dont carry it, its your choice. If you don't carry it the hospitals will still get paid. As you know already, if you have insurance your bils are higher than if you pay cash. Now imagine if everyone paid cash? People would bitch up a storm when they got the bill 1200 for an emergency room visit. Now, people just look at the bill and say, wow glad i have insurance. Again gaurenteed profit for the health care industry. It no secret why the health care industry wants a system where the government will reimburse them for every claim. They can charge almost anything they want and will not get screamed at on the other side of the phone when and Irate patient calls to complain about the bill.

Why are health care costs skyrocketing? An aging population on medicare and medicaid. Government benefits and they know they can charge whatever they want within reason and get paid. Why did the drug companies lobby so hard to get the prescription drug bill passed? They knew they would be on the government gravy train if it passed and they were right. As soon as it passed it added aprox 20 trillion to the unfunded liabilities in this country. That trillion with a capital Fucking T. Does anyone get it yet? All these socialized programs are being pushed on us by the big corps so they can pad their fucking bottom lines. How many goddamn drugs do we need in this country. Of all people the people here should understand this. How many new diseases do we create every year? Do you hear some of this shit they come up with on these drugomercials?
Got a headache? Take this pill, caution the sides effects may be, loss of sleep, loss of hair, loss of sexual function, loss of bowel control, vomiting, nausea, blindness, in makes has been known to cause breast to grow and the penis to fall off. But you will get of your headache.
Ok so its an extreme example but you get the point. I'll give you an example of the opposite extreme.

In Cuba they have socialized medicine or free healthcare. Yes it sucks. As with most of Cuba it is like being back in the 50's. I love the people and the culture for many reasons but they do have shitty healthcare. If we compare the 2 countries we find the following.
America was the richest nation on earth. Cuba is one of the poorest. Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate. Cuba has a lower rate of diabietes and heart disease. Cub has a slightly higher life expectancy.

How can this be? America spends more per capita than 90% of the rest of the world on health care? How about corporate profits?

If you really want socialized medicine than the only way is to make them government 100%. No corporate involvement at all and no profit motive at all. Anything less than that is merely making corporate profits socialized at the expense of you and me.

Ok, there are more arguments in here as well, like what about people who don't work, who pays for them ect.. Those are smaller points we can deal with but first we have to understand the big picture.

My own opinion, let me make my own choices. That's freedom.

America is bankrupt. We cant afford socialism anymore. You can fight about the dems and repubs and in fact that's exactly what corporate America wants. It takes your attention away from the big picture which is what I described above. The corps are raping us every chance they get. They spend lots of money on lobbyists an get the laws changed so they can make more money.

Oh and by the way, its already been decided by the Supreme court that mandatory health insurance is unconstitutional. I know they have it here in Ma but it doesn't change the facts. There was an article in the USA today late last year with Ma as an example and they mentioned i there as well. How did ma get around it? They didn't, If you don't carry insurance it a 180.00 fine for the year. Pay that or hire a lawyer to go to court at 300 an hour.

I'll stop here for now, but I hope you can all understand what is really happening here and why its important to wake up as a nation and stop playin this petty party politics BS.