Senator Obama submitted his answers first. They were made public and available to subsequent respondents. The only other presidential candidate to respond so far has been Senator McCain.
You can read their full answers at www.YourCandidatesYourHealth.org
I've integrated the short answers from Senators Obama and McCain. Senator McCain chose not to select an answer from the multiple-choice list, replying exclusively through comments. This foils a stark comparison between the two.
After reading through it all several times, it's apparent that Obama did more homework than McCain on healthcare.
In some places their responses mirrored each other; it looked like one (McCain's) was based on a template of the other (Obama's).
There were some differences that stood out for me:
Obama's health care plan:- Guarantees coverage for every American. (Creates a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses purchase private health insurance directly.)
- Closes doughnut hole in Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Halleluiah.)
- Distributes annual prescription drug report to seniors that details their spending and outlines options for reducing spending by switching to a new plan. (Boy, is this needed.)
- Funding:
- Allocates money (grants, loans, training, assistance) to schools and workplaces for prevention plans.
- Gives $10 billion/yr for 5 years to move health records from paper to computers.
- Increases funding to the NIH, CDC, AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), FDA.
- Doubles foreign aid assistance by 2012.
- Increases funding to state and local health departments and hospitals.
- Allocates money (grants, loans, training, assistance) to schools and workplaces for prevention plans.
McCain's health care plan:- Will work to provide health care to more Americans.
- Provides families with a $5,000 refundable tax credit ($2,500 for individuals) to purchase insurance of their choice. (Some of that money comes from a new tax he has proposed on our employer-supplied health benefits.)
- Reduces the use of hospitals and nursing homes. (I don't get this one.)
- Aims to increase personal responsibility for health.
- Supports surcharges for unhealthy behaviors, reduced premiums for healthy behaviors
- Funding:
- Recommends decisions be made at the local level for prevention plans.
- No commitment of money to move health records from paper to computers, but supports the idea.
- No commitment to increase funding to the NIH, CDC, AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), FDA.
- No commitment to increase foreign aid assistance.
- No commitment to increase funding to state/local health departments and hospitals.
- Recommends decisions be made at the local level for prevention plans.
Similarities between Obama and McCain:
- Increase competition among insurers, providers.
- Allow people to keep their current coverage.
- Support drug re-importation. (Why can't drug companies charge the same here as they do abroad? It would save money not having to export drugs, then reimport them so people can pay the lower prices charged in other countries.)
- Oppose the intentional creation of human embryos for research.
- Support mental health parity (mental health services covered on a par with physical health services).
Your Candidates Your Health Questionairre:
(You can also access answers from your Senators and Representatives who are up for election this fall.)
1. Which of the following statements best describes your view of our current health care system?
- Overall, the health care system is working and needs only some minor adjustments
- Significant changes are needed to make our health care system work much better
- Our health care system is broken and needs a complete overhaul
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
2. In a recent survey, a majority of Americans (81%) say they are dissatisfied with the cost of health care in this country. As President how will you address health care costs for Americans?
See their comments.
3. Do you agree or disagree that it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure all Americans have basic health care coverage?
- Agree
- Disagree
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
4. How well do you think the Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors is working?
- Working very well
- Working well
- Working somewhat
- Not working well
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
5. What strategies would you use to increase the focus on prevention and wellness in our health care system?
See their comments.
6. Most agree that the use of standardized electronic health records (EHRs) will make the health care system more efficient and reduce medical errors. As President, do you think the cost of implementing EHRs should be paid for by the public sector, the private sector or some combination of the two?
- Public
- Private
- Combination
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
7. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the agency that funds most of the medical and health research paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Since 2003, funding for the NIH has been outpaced by inflation. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view on funding for NIH?
- Funding for NIH is not a priority
- Current U.S. funding for medical and health research is sufficient and other budget items are higher priorities now
- The U.S. must increase investment in NIH as a critical strategy to improve health care
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
8. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is charged with protecting the health and safety of Americans. In recent years, funding for core programs (such as chronic disease and injury prevention, tobacco control and environmental health) at the CDC has been cut. Which of the following statements most accurately reflects your view?
- Funding for CDC core programs is not a priority
- Maintain current funding levels for CDC core programs because other budget items take precedence
- Increase funding for core programs at CDC to improve public health
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
9. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead federal agency charged with funding health services research, which seeks to rapidly translate discoveries from research into medical practice and improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of health care. Since 2002, funding for AHRQ has been cut or remained flat. Which of the following statements most accurately reflects your view?
- Funding for AHRQ is not a priority
- Current funding for AHRQ is sufficient and other budget priorities exist
- AHRQ funding should be increased as a strategy to improve health care quality and safety in the U.S.
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
10. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety and effectiveness of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation's food supply, cosmetics and products that emit radiation. Which of the following statements best reflects your opinion?
- Funding for FDA is not a priority
- Current funding levels are sufficient for FDA to fulfill its mission
- Current funding levels for FDA are not keeping pace with accelerated drug and device creation or the increasing globalization of food supplies
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
11. How important would you say it is that the U.S. work to improve health globally? If important, please describe how you plan to increase our nation's role in promoting and improving global health. If not, please explain why.
- Very important
- Somewhat important
- Not too important
- Not at all important
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
12. Do you support or oppose increasing federal funding for state/local health departments and hospitals across the country that are expected to prepare for and respond to threats to our health?
- Support
- Oppose
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
13. Current evidence suggests that the U.S. is experiencing shortages and/or poor distribution of certain health care professionals. How high a priority would you say it is for policy makers to create more incentives to encourage individuals to pursue careers as:
Physicians
- A top priority
- High priority
- Somewhat of a priority
- Not too much of a priority
- Low priority
- Not a priority at all
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
Nurses
- A top priority
- High priority
- Somewhat of a priority
- Not too much of a priority
- Low priority
- Not a priority at all
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
Dentists
- A top priority
- High priority
- Somewhat of a priority
- Not too much of a priority
- Low priority
- Not a priority at all
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
14. Do you support or oppose expanding federal funding for research using embryonic stem cells?
- Support
- Oppose
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
15. Do you agree or disagree that mental health services should be part of all health care plans in the public and private sectors?
- Agree
- Disagree
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
16. Comparative effectiveness research compares two alternative treatments for the same condition to see which works better for the average patient. Many feel Medicare and private insurers should only cover the most effective treatment. Others feel, since comparative effectiveness only determines which treatment works best on average, the ultimate decision as to what treatment to be used should be left to doctors and not the government or insurance companies. Which is closer to your own view?
Do you feel that:
- Comparative effectiveness research should be used by insurers and government to deny coverage for treatments that are less effective on average
- Comparative effectiveness research should be used to inform patients and doctors but the decision on which treatment to use should be made by patients and doctors, not government or insurance companies
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
17. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The U.S. is in danger of losing its global competitive edge in science, technology and innovation." If you agree, what approach would you take to change this trend?
- Agree
- Disagree
- Don't know
- No opinion
McCain Answer - (Declined to make a selection.)
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