Reply #13: A source: NPR Fresh Air interview + article in NE Journal of Medicine...

[fiorello]

This is a 45-minute interview with a non-partisan expert - so it may do better than the Obama site.

NPR Fresh Air:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93975730
The interview-ee wrote an article in the New England Journal of Medicine:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/8/781

Also, two old articles by Paul Krugman give a great summary of the Edwards and Obama plans, and why:

"Edwards Gets it Right" - Feb 9, 2007
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/opinion/09krugman.html?scp=1&sq=&st=nyt

"Obama in Second Place" -
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/opinion/04krugman.html?scp=1&sq=&st=nyt

In brief: Obama planned to use his tax increase on the rich (>$250,000 incomes, he said on the debate last night) to provide support for people to buy health insurance, with support based on income. (Not just a tax reduction - a direct support.) Plus - even more important - Obama would require health insurance companies to everyone based on "group" rates; they could no longer deny health insurance (or charge exhorbitantly) based on "pre-existing conditions", bad genes, or any way they use to screen out people likely to have health needs. He also would let people buy into an expanded Medicare as an option - forcing private companies to compete with Medicare, which has been better and more efficient so far.

By contrast: McCain would tax employer-provided health care as income - basically, to discourage employers from providing health care. So people with employer-provided health care may lose theirs. He would use the extra money to give everyone a tax credit to buy health insurance - in contrast to Obama, this is identical for everyone, not based on income, and probably inadequate to buy decent coverage - and (MOST IMPORTANT) would force everyone to buy as individuals. This means that MORE PEOPLE WILL BE DENIED BENEFITS (or charged exhorbitantly) based on pre-existing conditions. To hammer the point home, McCain would also effectively circumvent individual state regulations designed to provide near-universal coverage.