HEALTH
INSURANCE
|
| Related
story: Democrats
Differ on Health Care Solutions |
George
W. Bush (R): |
“The
president’s plan proposes to address this problem
through over $117 billion in initiatives to make good health
care coverage more available and affordable. The president’s
budget proposes $89 billion in new health credits to make
private health insurance more affordable for low- and middle-income
American families who do not have employer-subsidized insurance.” (Quoted
on www.georgewbush.com)
|
| Wesley
Clark (D): |
“My
plan would extend health insurance to 32 million Americans,
including all 13 million children and college-age students
who currently lack health insurance.
Every American without other means to buy insurance would have access to the
same health plan as members of Congress; tax credits and other measures would
make this coverage affordable.” (Quoted on www.clark04.com) |
| Howard
Dean (D): |
“For
a year now, I have been traveling this country advocating
a repeal of Bush's tax cuts so that we can provide universal
health care and restore fiscal
discipline. Many have questioned the political wisdom of challenging the president
on politically popular tax cuts. I believe, however, that given a choice between
having health insurance or keeping all of the Bush tax cuts in place, most
Americans will choose health insurance. My plan will cost $88.3 billion -- less
than half of the president's tax cut -- with money left over to pay down the
deficits run up by this administration.” (Quoted on www.deanforamerica.com) |
| John
Edwards (D): |
“The
signature piece of [Edwards’] plan is to provide coverage for every child.
It will be affordable and easy for parents to cover their children. His plan
will cut costs and increase coverage.” (Edwards’ New Hampshire
Deputy Press Secretary Tait Sye, Nov. 17, 2003) |
| Dick
Gephardt (D): |
“Congressman
Gephardt thinks that the federal government should guarantee
that every single American have access to quality health
insurance
that can never be taken away. He’s got the best plan to do it. It’s
the biggest, it’s the most expensive, but it’s a big problem and
it needs a big solution.” (Gephardt’s Iowa press secretary,
Bill Burton, Nov. 18, 2003) |
| John
Kerry (D): |
“Senator
Kerry wants to provide health care regardless of whether
people are part of a group or not. He wants to guarantee
insurance to all citizens.” (Sid
Tickoo, a consulting intern for Kerry’s national campaign, Nov. 14,
2003) |
| Dennis
Kucinich (D): |
“He
supports a single-payer universal health care system
that’s publicly financed. He’s against privatizing just about everything.
The important thing to remember is that the money is already there. His plan
won’t cost any extra money. He’s taking profit out and emphasizing
the patient.” (Kucinich issues coordinator Julia Prange, Nov.
17, 2003) |
| Joe Lieberman (D): |
“He
believes the federal government plays an important role in
providing health insurance. He wants to expand health insurance
to the millions
of Americans who do not currently have insurance by repealing the Bush tax cuts
for the wealthiest Americans and restructuring corporate tax loopholes.” (Lieberman’s
national campaign spokesperson, Adam Kovacevich, Nov. 19, 2003) |
| Carol
Moseley Braun (D): |
“Carol
supports a single-payer universal health care system based
on an already existing plan, the federal employees’ plan,
which
would provide coverage to all Americans without increasing the cost of health
care.” (Moseley Braun strategy and policy researcher Aliya Hague, Dec. 16,
2003) |
| Al
Sharpton (D): |
“I
can support all of the other Democratic candidates'
plans as a step in the right direction because they are all
an improvement, in varying
degrees, over our current health care system. Yet these don’t guarantee
a single standard of high quality because they are state-based in many cases. … Those
in Congress who believe the right could be achieved through a Medical Savings
Account could write their legislation, and those who believed in a single-payer
approach could write their legislation. … In a practical sense, it might
take some combination of all of the above to achieve the desired approach and
meet
a constitutional standard.” (Quoted in "A
Health
Care
Constitutional
Amendment, Its Meaning,” previously posted on the Iowa for Health Care
Web
site,
www.iowaforhealthcare.com) |
