I Am Not Political But I Had To Write A Paper..
Jane
Seriously!? Join Date: 2003-07-01 Member: 17835Members, Constellation
Seriously!? Join Date: 2003-07-01 Member: 17835Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">on medical liability and health care</div> I am not one to be "I am voting for <enter president here> ," because I really truthfully don't care enough to research about it. The one thing I noticed from having to research their health plans are that they both spend a lot of time bashing each others points, but they spend very little time explaining their own plans.
Kerry really gets into detail about his plans to help small businesses, and then goes straight to either Bush bashing, or his generic spiel that he is going to help lower costs and such, with no explination of how.
Bush on the other hand lightly touches on many of the things he plans to fix, but doesn't really go enough in detail about anything, so again you are still guessing at best how he plans to execute these plans. *Edit* and then <i>immediately</i> goes back to Kerry bashing.
For people who actually get really into researching this stuff to make an educated vote, don't you find it to be so frustrating?
Kerry really gets into detail about his plans to help small businesses, and then goes straight to either Bush bashing, or his generic spiel that he is going to help lower costs and such, with no explination of how.
Bush on the other hand lightly touches on many of the things he plans to fix, but doesn't really go enough in detail about anything, so again you are still guessing at best how he plans to execute these plans. *Edit* and then <i>immediately</i> goes back to Kerry bashing.
For people who actually get really into researching this stuff to make an educated vote, don't you find it to be so frustrating?
Comments
All we ever hear about is 'Holywood votes for bush' or 'Kerry ate a McDonalds in his car, he's a bad person!'
Can someone confirm this, In the US to get TV airtime for your campain you have to pay for it yeh? unlike in the UK where all parties get equaly airtime on the BBC.
Bush doesn't have to explain what he intends to do so much because he is the incumbent.
Here's a quick synapsis from my search:
<b>Bush</b> - <a href='http://www.rnc.org/GOPAgenda/AgendaPage.aspx?id=4' target='_blank'>Health Care info from the Republican Party Platform</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Association Health Plans (AHPs) will help small businesses provide affordable health insurance coverage to their workers. AHPs will give America's working families greater access to affordable health insurance by allowing small businesses to band together through trade groups and negotiate on behalf of their employees and their families.
Millions of Americans will get help with their out-of-pocket medical expenses through health savings accounts (HSAs). The Medicare bill that President Bush signed into law will enable people who purchase high-deductible health insurance coverage to establish health savings accounts. These tax-exempt, portable accounts will help families pay their routine medical expenses and provide a tax-preferred means of saving for future health care needs. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) which are like checking accounts held by a bank that individuals put money into every paycheck. The money is taken out before taxes and can only be used for medical expenses. The money stays in the account until the individual takes it out and while it's there it earns interest. If the individual changes jobs, their money goes with them. Currently, there are government controls that only allow individuals to use HSA accounts if they have a high deductible plan (I believe $1000 is the minimum deductible).
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->New health insurance deductions will make coverage more affordable to millions of Americans whose employers don't provide health benefits. The President's proposal will allow individuals who establish HSAs to deduct the premiums they pay for their high-deductible health insurance policies. This new deduction will be available to taxpayers whether or not they itemize. It will reduce the net cost of these policies and encourage the use of HSAs for making wise, cost-effective health care choices.
Refundable tax credits will make health insurance more affordable to millions of low-income Americans. The President has proposed to establish refundable tax credits of up to $1,000 for individuals and $3,000 for families to help low-income workers buy health insurance coverage.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is a change to the tax code that provides credits (refunds) to individuals who, presumably, itemize medical costs when they fill out their annual tax forms.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Medical liability reform will help improve health care quality and slow the rise in health care costs. President Bush believes these needed reforms will increase access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans, while reducing frivolous and time-consuming legal proceedings against doctors and health care providers that are driving good providers out of communities across the country.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is the least specific section but the general idea is to either change laws that restrict what lawsuits can be filed or puts caps on the financial gains that lawyers and/or individuals can receive when filing a liability lawsuit.
<b>Kerry</b> - <a href='http://www.democrats.org/healthcare/index.html' target='_blank'>Health Care info from the Democrat Party Platform</a>
<u>NOTE:</u> Limited info here becuase the site insists on pointing out what the Bush administration has/hasn't done regarding health care.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to address the soaring cost of health care that will cut premiums by up to $1,000 and help insure an additional 27 million Americans who don't have health coverage. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Apparently they have a plan. Nuff said.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Kerry and Edwards will put medical decisions in the hands of doctors and their patients and stop bureaucrats who nothing about medicine from making life and death decisions. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Apparently they want to remove their own ability to make decisions regarding our health care. I didn't know they had that ability yet but taking their ability away sounds good to me.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Unlike Bush's Medicare prescription drug plan that only gives money to pharmaceutical companies, the Kerry-Edwards plan will provide prescription drug relief that allows Americans the discounts available in Canada. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Canada sells cheap drugs so we want them. I wonder what Canada will think about this when their supplies run out.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->John Kerry and John Edwards believe that every American deserves the same quality of care that members of Congress receive and will allow every American to enroll in that system. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Either Congress is getting a huge reduction in their health care or ours is about to get very expensive. Last I heard their annual insurance costs were around $7000 a year but I can't find any resource to back that up.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The Kerry-Edwards plan gives tax cuts to small businesses to help them cover their workers. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Small business tax cuts means more money to spend on health insurance. Nuff said.
Well, there you go. Good luck.
Once people are resigned to the fact that they have to vote, they seem much more intent on making it count for something...
Canada sells cheap drugs so we want them. I wonder what Canada will think about this when their supplies run out.
<!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
So we will be "outsourcing" our drugs to Canada.
The Bush plans also wants to allow small businesses from differents areas to band together to get better healthcare plans. This will give them the purchasing power of larger companies and give them more leverage so they can get cheaper premiums.