Health Care Campaign 2008: New Addition Alaska Governor Sarah Palin

Health Care Campaign 2008: New Addition Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in Politics and Legislation

Even if you aren’t following the presidential election, you probably heard about Republican nominee Senator John McCain’s pick for vice president: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Governor Palin has been touted by Republicans as a fresh face for Washington, a reformer, and a true conservative — not to mention that she’s the first female on the Republican presidential ticket and she would be the first female vice president in American history.

So where does Governor Palin stand when it comes to health care and health insurance reform?

Unfortunately, she doesn’t have much of a health care record.

But from what we’ve researched, Governor Palin does have a traditional stance toward health care reform as many of her Republican colleagues.

For one, Palin seems to strongly support increased competition to reduce health care costs.

In Alaska, new medical facilities can only be opened if the state decides that the facility is actually needed. Any new facility needs to obtain a “certificate-of-need.” This year, Governor Palin fought to get rid of this law so new facilities could freely open and increase competition in the market.

In an Anchorage Daily News op-ed, Governor Palin quoted herself, “Under our present Certificate of Need process, costs and needs don't drive health care choices, bureaucracy does. Our system is broken and expensive.”

Even though her efforts eventually failed, reported the Washington Post in a health care piece on Governor Palin, it suggests the Republican vice-presidential nominee favors market health care solutions.

Governor Palin also sides with the majority of Republicans on expanding the State’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Legislation was introduced in Alaska this year to expand SCHIP, but Palin opposed it.

Now that Governor Palin has been introduced on the national stage, we’d expect to hear about her proposals and thoughts on health care reform sooner than later.

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Senator Barack Obama and The Single-Payer Health Care System

Senator Barack Obama and The Single-Payer Health Care System in Politics and Legislation

Today, Senator Barack Obama was talking health care policy on the campaign trail in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

During a town-hall meeting, according to a Wall Street Journal blog, Senator Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said he would support a single-payer health care system in the U.S. if he could start new.

“If I were designing a system from scratch, I would probably go ahead with a single-payer [health care] system,” said Senator Obama.

Such a system would get rid of private health insurance companies and the government would exclusively run all health care services.

It would bring universal health care to the U.S., which is a goal many Democratic lawmakers share.

Of course, Senator Obama knows he can’t start from scratch and our current health care system probably couldn’t be changed to single-payer any time soon.

“[M]y attitude is let’s build up the system we got, let’s make it more efficient, we may over time, as we make the system more efficient and everybody’s covered, decide that there are other ways for us to provide care more effectively,” explained the Illinois Senator.

So even though we can’t make the move to a single-payer health care system now, should we in the future?

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Arizona Voters Could Block Universal Health Care Efforts With New Proposition

Arizona Voters Could Block Universal Health Care Efforts With New Proposition in Politics and Legislation

Come November, universal health care and universal health insurance plans will be blocked by Arizona state law… if the voters so choose.

Recently, a petition obtained enough signatures to put Proposition 101 on the Arizona ballot, which would effectively prohibit any universal health care programs.

That includes any law which would mandate health care coverage or health insurance.

As Proposition 101 puts it, any law “that restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health-care systems or private plans of any type,” reported the Arizona Daily Star.

The proposition, likely to be a part of an ongoing debate, had controversy written all over it before it was even approved for the November ballot.

When the petition was turned into the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, the County Recorder Helen Purcell determined some of the signatures were invalid.

Purcell based her findings on 22 possible invalid signatures that the Recorder’s Office checked. Some of these signatures were dated before the petition came out, some had inconsistent dates with other signatures on a petition sheet.

But a Maricopa Superior Court Judge ruled that the petitions were valid, and the Proposition will be up for approval in November.

As a side note, it’s ironic that Arizona, Senator John McCain’s home state,  is trying to block universal health care while Senator Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois is trying to pass it?

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An Introduction: The Presidential Health Care Campaign 2008

An Introduction: The Presidential Health Care Campaign 2008 in Politics and Legislation

It’s been a while since our last post about the 2008 presidential election, but we thought now was as good time as any to start talking about the health care policies of the two candidates.

After a year-long Democratic battle between New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama, Senator Obama has come out as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Arizona Senator John McCain had an impressive performance for the Republicans, coming back to win the New Hampshire primary and clinching the nomination after the political world thought his campaign was all but dead.

But now that the primary season is in the past, what do our candidates have in store for the future?

Senator McCain favors a system where the private market takes control to drive down prices. He’s even willing to provide a generous tax credit for individuals and families.

Senator Obama on the other hand is looking for the government to step in and require all children have insurance, and put restrictions on the health insurance companies so they can’t deny anyone coverage.

Obama also has promised he can reduce an average American family’s annual health insurance plan premiums by $2,500.

This was just an intro to what’s to come in the Presidential Health Care Campaign of 2008. Over the next few months, we’ll go deeper into the health care reform plans from Senator McCain and Senator Obama and keep up on the candidates’ latest health care news.

We also want to know what you think about each candidate’s health care plan — the comments section is now open for business.

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New Mexico Governor Calls For Universal Health Insurance For Children

New Mexico Governor Calls For Universal Health Insurance For Children in Politics and Legislation

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is asking state lawmakers to approve a health care reform plan which would require all children to have health insurance.

State Legislature will hold a special summer session starting August 15, where Governor Richardson will push for an endorsement of the children’s health insurance mandate, reported the Associated Press and the Las Cruces Sun-News.

The plan would cost an estimated $58 million every year and provide coverage for over 50,000 children, wrote the article.

Every child up to age 18 would have to have coverage and prove they are insured when enrolling in school.

The article went on to explain that there would be no penalty for not having coverage, but the state would keep pushing parents to get their children insured.

Parents who cannot afford a private health plan for their children will have access to financial assistance from the state — either through programs to help them pay for premiums or Medicaid.

“The message to parents is that you need to get your kids covered, and there [are] lots of options available to do that," said Pam Hyde, the state Secretary of Human Services.”

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U.S. House Of Representatives Approves “Michelle’s Law”

U.S. House Of Representatives Approves “Michelle’s Law” in Politics and Legislation

A new bill recently approved in the U.S. House of Representatives lets students take medical leave from school and keep their health insurance. [Read More]

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FDA May Get Power To Regulate Cigarettes

FDA May Get Power To Regulate Cigarettes in Politics and Legislation

A new bill with broad support in Washington D.C. would give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate cigarettes. But the White House isn’t on board.   [Read More]

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U.S. House Of Representatives Committee Passes Veterans’ Health Care Bills

U.S. House Of Representatives Committee Passes Veterans’ Health Care Bills in Politics and Legislation

The Veterans’ Affairs Committee recently approved a pair of bills that will help veterans living in rural areas and expand mental health benefits. [Read More]

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California Bill Would Give State More Power Over Health Insurance Companies

California Bill Would Give State More Power Over Health Insurance Companies in Politics and Legislation

A California measure passed on Monday to give the state more power to fine health insurance companies who don’t pay physicians’ medical bills. [Read More]

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Obama Proposes 50 Percent Health Insurance Tax Credit For Small Businesses

Obama Proposes 50 Percent Health Insurance Tax Credit For Small Businesses in Politics and Legislation

Democratic presidential candidate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, over the weekend proposed a plan which would offer tax credits for small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees.  

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Medicare Bill To Halt Payment Cuts Finally Passes In Senate, Senator Edward Kennedy Votes

Medicare Bill To Halt Payment Cuts Finally Passes In Senate, Senator Edward Kennedy Votes in Politics and Legislation

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed a stalled bill to prevent a Medicare payment to doctors with the help of Senator Edward Kennedy’s vote of approval. [Read More]

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Portland Considers Universal Health Insurance Coverage For Children

Portland Considers Universal Health Insurance Coverage For Children in Politics and Legislation

Portland, Oregon city officials recently passed a resolution to provide universal health insurance coverage for children… in a couple years. [Read More]

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Organizations To Spend Big For Health Care Reform

Organizations To Spend Big For Health Care Reform in Politics and Legislation

High-powered organizations are on a quest for universal health care, and their willing to spend millions pushing their plans. [Read More]

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California’s Medicaid Program Would Stop Payments For Medical ‘Never Events’ Under New Bill

California’s Medicaid Program Would Stop Payments For Medical ‘Never Events’ Under New Bill in Politics and Legislation

MediCal, the Medicaid program in California, may stop reimbursing health care providers who commit medical errors that should never occur. [Read More]

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New Jersey Governor Includes Funds For Health Insurance Bill In State Budget

New Jersey Governor Includes Funds For Health Insurance Bill In State Budget in Politics and Legislation

New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine is expected to sign a new state budget that includes millions for a health coverage expansion bill. But will it be enough? [Read More]

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