Health Care

Health care is a big issue this election. Like Barack Obama, I believe that believe that every American has the right to affordable health care. We have amazing doctors and health care professionals in this country. Unfortunately, the health insurance system is broken and we need new solutions to improve it. I have tried to figure out John McCain's health plan, but frankly, it has left me scratching my head. I cannot see the benefit to the consumer. Economist Paul Krugman, who is the 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times this week that does a better job explaining McCain's plan than I can. I recommend reading it here.

I definitely disagree with McCain's plan to deregulate the health insurance. This would allow health insurance companies to relocate to a state that is more favorable to them and less favorable to the consumer. Different states have different regulations, because we, as voters, have either voted directly for these protections or have elected legislators who have enacted these regulations. Deregulating the industry will take away our protections and will make it more difficult for many people, especially those with pre-existing conditions, to obtain adequate health coverage.

I will direct you to Barack Obama's web page that discusses his health care plan. To dispel any falsehoods you may have heard, Obama's plan is not socialized health care. As his website states: On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that's why they've proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. The Obama-Biden plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.

A good friend of mine, who is a highly respected surgeon in Denver, also has serious reservations about McCain's plans for health care. He recently wrote to me stating "I will say our health care system cannot take the potential onslaught of the McCain ticket." I couldn't have said it any better.