Healthcare a crucial issue on Super Tuesday
Filed under: Insurance, Health
My 6-year-old daughter was at a Super Bowl party less than 10 minutes when she jumped off a foot-high trampoline and twisted her ankle, causing it to swell. First thing monday morning, we headed to the orthopedic surgeon's office to confirm that Katie had a small fracture. She thinks the neon pink cast is really cool and she loved looking at the x-rays, but so far, her little spill cost me $1,000, which our health insurance, Anthem, should cover. Aside from being relieved that the break wasn't worse, I can't help but think about what it must be like for the 45 million Americans without health insurance who must worry incessantly that an accident or illness could set them back tens of thousands of dollars.
Just last week, I watched a CNN newscast by medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who reported that health costs are the number one reason Americans file for bankruptcy. Voters' views on the healthcare crisis will likely play a role in the outcome on SuperTuesday, when 24 states hold primaries or caucuses to elect presidential nominees.
The Democratic candidates, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, spent a significant chunk of the last debate discussing healthcare, and both are emphasizing the issue in ads. A recorded message on my answering machine today from Clinton names "the need for quality, affordable healthcare" as one of the big challenges facing the next president. And Obama's new ads mention how difficult it was for his mother, who died of cancer, to get insurers to pay for her care.
On CNN, Dr. Gupta analyzed the senators' healthcare plans, which call for expanded coverage so more people can gain access to affordable health care. Republican candidates Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and John McCain propose a less ambitious approach, primarily relying on tax breaks and other changes in the marketplace to tackle the healthcare crisis. Voters who are still undecided can look at USA Today's election coverage to learn what the candidates are proposing on healthcare as well as their stance on other key issues like the economy.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-05-2008 @ 3:40PM
HealthCareers said...
It is incredibly important that we, as a nation, pay particular attention to the state of healthcare, healthcare education, healthcare practitioners and providers. We need more educators to fill the void of education in healthcare so that we can add more professionals and practitioners. The demand for healthcare has far outstretched beyond our nation's ability to supply talented and qualified resources to serve the needs of healthcare in the U.S.
Healthcare Careers In America
Reply
2-05-2008 @ 11:50PM
jscotthhi said...
When did it become the job of the government to take care of the people?
And, if these people can't afford healthcare now, how can they afford it with a socialized medicine program? I am temporarily living in a country with socialized medicine. You people that think this is the way to go haven't done your homework. You should check the STAGGERING costs to those countries. And, you should check out what is and what isn't covered.
America is the fattest country on the earth. (How many poor people in other countries are fat?) Since obesity is at the root of many of our health issues, it will cost us a lot more.
45 million people without health care is an undocumented joke. Our "poor" today have more than the upper class of just 2 generations ago.
Healthcare should be a non-issue on Super Tuesday.
As for the economy, it's quite interesting that the democrats hate tax cuts, but when it comes to stimulating the economy, they're all for the proposed tax rebates.
You sad liberals are killing America.
Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
Have a nice day.
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2-06-2008 @ 8:12PM
GetAJob said...
One wonders if triple-chinned filmmaker Michael Moore, when his own arteries finally clog shut from trying to personally rid the world of donuts, will seriously consider a Cuban hospital for his bypass surgery? Pinkco is just another left wing propaganda stunt. If you made the wrong chooses in life(didn't choose to get a good education , choose to take drugs, commit crimes, had more children then you could afford, purchased more of a home then you could afford, refuses to work hard) then don't expect me to pay your way.
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2-06-2008 @ 8:12PM
GetAJob said...
Socialism is a sickness which destroys ever society it infects
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2-09-2008 @ 10:06AM
GetAJob said...
top 1% earners pay - 33% of all taxes taken in
top 25% - 84%
top 50% - 97%
If you pay taxes you will be paying the insurance premiums for others. You will have to get additional job or work over time to support your family so other people can sit at home and watch "The Price is Right" because they feel they are "Entitled" to have others support them.
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