If someone is interested in letting people know their views they can easily do so. Edwards has both a brief summary for people who will not read the entire plan and the 7 page plan on his website. Here is the summary (is asking HRC to do something similar too much to ask?):
==John Edwards has a bold plan to transform America's health care system and provide universal health care for every man, woman and child in America.
Under the Edwards 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.
The Edwards Plan achieves universal coverage by:
* 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 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.==
http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/health-care/Here is Obama's page:
Barack Obama is committed to providing quality, affordable health care to all Americans.
"In the 2008 campaign, affordable, universal health care for every single American must not be a question of whether, it must be a question of how. We have the ideas, we have the resources, and we will have universal health care in this country by the end of the next president's first term."
-Barack Obama, Speech in Washington, DC 1/25/07
The United States spends twice as much per person on health care as every other developed country in the world, but 45 million Americans don't have health coverage. Health care premium costs are growing five times faster than wages, and half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills. More and more businesses are struggling with health costs, or dropping coverage altogether.
In his book, The Audacity of Hope, and in a series of speeches and public events Barack Obama has outlined specific principles for providing affordable and comprehensive coverage and for improving quality of care and reducing of costs for everyone. These include tackling medical inflation and spiraling health care costs, developing new mechanisms to extend portable, affordable coverage, and reforming health care delivery so that it emphasizes prevention and efficiency.
However, every election year, people offer comprehensive health care plans, and they never go anywhere. They die in Washington. So one of the things Barack Obama wants to do in this campaign is not only roll out policy plans, but also build a real movement for change.
As a first step, Barack Obama wants to hear from you. He is hosting a series of community discussions around the country to hear not only from policy experts, but also from real Americans who are struggling with the health care system, doctors and nurses, people with insurance and without it. Those who are struggling to pay their bills, or forgoing care because of high costs.
Obama expects his presidency to be judged on whether he provides high-quality affordable health care coverage for all by the end of his first term. We are not short on ideas to address the problem, but what we have lacked is consensus and political will. With the help of your insight, Barack will develop a health care plan that builds on our common experiences and builds the political momentum to enact real reform.
Throughout his career in Washington and in the state Senate, Obama has been dedicated to health care reform. Learn more about Barack's record on health care and share your voice on these issues by using our My.Policy tools:
Extending Health Care To Children.
Nine million children lack health insurance coverage in America. As a state senator, Barack Obama sponsored and helped pass legislation that extends and expands Illinois' KidCare program to provide coverage for an additional 20,000 children and 65,000 more Illinois adults.
Empowering Health Care Consumers with Hospital Report Cards
Consumers do not have enough information to make good choices about their health care. Senator Obama introduced the Hospital Quality Report Card Act to require hospitals to report on the effectiveness, safety and timeliness of the care they provide. This legislation, which is similar to a bill that Barack Obama passed in the Illinois State Senate, would help patients make healthcare decisions and help providers and insurers get the right information to improve quality and contain costs.
Encouraging Medical Information Technology
Every transaction consumers make at banks across the country costs them less than a penny. Yet, because we have not updated technology in the health care industry, a single transaction at a hospital still costs up to $25--not one dime of which goes toward improving care. The lack of modern, interoperable information technology at our hospitals costs in time, money, and medical errors. Senator Obama worked with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to introduce the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Efficiency Act to leverage the federal government's purchasing power to encourage the development of health information technology. The bill would require medical insurance companies that deal with the federal government to implement an electronic system for efficient and effective settlement of medical claims.
Fighting Health Disparities:
Minorities, the poor and those in remote areas are less healthy and receive lower quality health care than other Americans. Barack Obama championed the Minority Health Improvement and Health Disparity Elimination Act to understand the root causes of health disparities and to start to address them. The bill puts new emphasis on disparity research by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to collect and report healthcare data by race and ethnicity, as well as geographic and socioeconomic status and level of health literacy. The legislation also outlines mechanisms to conduct educational outreach to disparity populations, increase diversity among healthcare professionals, and improve the delivery of health care to minorities and other underserved groups.
Making Prescription Drugs Cheaper:
Spending in the U.S. for prescription drugs was $200 billion in 2005, more than five times more than the $40.3 billion spent in 1990. As a state senator, Obama helped pass legislation to reduce drug costs for seniors and low-income patients by discounting drugs, reducing copayments and encouraging the government to negotiate down the costs of drugs. Obama supports giving Medicare the right to use the federal government's buying power to negotiate down the costs of prescription drugs, just like the Department of Veterans Affairs does for our veterans' prescriptions.
Fighting AIDS Worldwide
There are 40 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. Every day, AIDS kills 8,000 and HIV infects 6,000 more people. The disease is set to become the third-leading cause of death worldwide in the coming years. Senator Obama has been a global leader in the fight against AIDS. He traveled to Kenya and took a public HIV test to encourage testing and reduce the stigma of the disease. The Senator joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle. At this conservative Christian event, Obama pushed a balanced approach to fighting the disease that includes condom distribution. Senator Obama also worked with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and others to introduce the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.
Bravery and Bipartisanship on the AIDS Battle
"U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois told more than 2,000 evangelical leaders in Orange County on Friday that he 'respectfully but unequivocally' disagrees with those who oppose condom distribution to fight the AIDS pandemic. . . . Obama drew a standing ovation from the 2,072 pastors and others who came from 39 states and 18 nations."
-Los Angeles Times, December 2, 2006
Fostering Healthy Communities
How a community is designed -- including the layout of its roads, buildings and parks -- can have a huge impact on the health of its residents. For instance, nearly one-third of Americans live in neighborhoods without sidewalks and less than half of our country's children have a playground within walking distance of their homes. This lack of a safe place to walk and play is a major contributor to the growing numbers of overweight children. Senator Obama introduced the Healthy Places Act to help state and local governments assess the health impact of new policies or projects, whether it is a new highway or shopping center. Once the health impact is determined, the bill gives grant funding and technical assistance to help address potential health problems.
"We . . . write to thank you for the introduction of S.2506/H.R.5088 The Healthy Places Act of 2006. The relationship between the built environment and the health and safety of all Americans is a vitally important aspect of public health. We are hopeful that with your leadership, Congress will soon address this critical health issue."
-Letter from Coalition of Health Groups.
Improving 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 a state senator, Obama helped pass mental health parity bill that requires coverage for serious mental illnesses to be provided on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to other illnesses and diseases.
Harnessing the Power of Genetic Medicine
Genomics has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine, but despite significant scientific advances, very few genomics-based tests or treatments have reached consumers. Genomics could eventually help predict which Americans will get sick, diagnose illness earlier, and screen patients to determine which drugs will be effective and safe. Senator Obama introduced the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act to overcome the scientific barriers, adverse market pressures, and outdated federal regulations that have stood in the way of better medicine.
"The Obama bill accelerates advances in the beneficial applications of genetic technologies to human health, while ensuring appropriate safeguards for the quality of genetic testing. After decades of policy lagging behind genetic science, we are hopeful that discussion of this bill will jumpstart the setting of sound genetic public policy."
- Kathy Hudson, Director, Genetics and Public Policy Center
Protecting Our Children from Lead Poisoning
More than 430,000 children in America 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. An estimated 14,200 (14 percent) of licensed child care centers nationwide are contaminated with hazardous levels of lead-based paint. Many toys on store shelves have unsafe levels of lead. A study commissioned by Senator Obama even found deadly levels of lead in some products sold at congressional gift shops.
Senator Obama introduced the Lead Poisoning Reduction Act to help protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities, including Head Start programs and kindergartens, be lead-safe within five years. Senator Obama also introduced the Lead Free Toys Act to set strict regulations on lead in toys. Any product marketed or used by children under age six that contains more than trace amounts of lead would be banned under the Hazardous Substance Act. Senator Obama has also pressured the EPA to publish long-delayed regulations for mitigating lead hazards during home renovations.
"Instead of recall after recall, why not prevent these dangerous exposures in the first place? That's what U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois wants to do. He has introduced legislation that would ban lead in all children's products. Adopting the ban - and imposing harsh penalties for violators - would be the best way to protect kids."
-Des Moines Register, Editorial, August 19, 2006
"Senator Obama's action puts EPA on notice that it may no longer delay addressing a tragic but completely avoidable public health threat."
--Jeff Ruch, Executive Director, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Reducing 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 every year at risk. The EPA estimates that every year, more than one child in six could be at risk for developmental disorders because of mercury exposure in the mother's womb. Since the primary sources of mercury in fish are power plant emissions that contaminate our water, regulation of utility emissions is essential to protecting the health of our children. Barack Obama introduced two pieces of legislation 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.
Fighting Ovarian Cancer:
Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States. Because of the lack of early symptoms or a proven screening test, ovarian cancer also has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system. Barack Obama is an original cosponsor of Johanna's Law. Signed into law in January 2007, the law will educate women and increase awareness of ovarian cancer.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
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