Kerry v Bush on health care: Stark difference (see link for Kerry's)

[AlinPA]

Bush's "plan", re: speech in Davenport IA today is focused on "tort reform", saying the reason we don't have health care coverage is because of lawyers.
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/health_care/

[sybylla]

1. Stark difference, and yet only baby steps unfortunately

The details are pretty much lacking in their plan so perhaps you can help me answer a few questions.

From the link:
<snip>
To make affordable health care a right - not a privilege - for every American, John Kerry and John Edwards will:

Cut Your Premiums
John Kerry and John Edwards will cut family premiums by up to $1,000. That's $1,000 in real savings people can use to buy groceries, pay the bills, and save for their children's future. And that will mean more jobs and more competitive American businesses.

How? Tax Credit? $1000 would be great but what's the 'up to' part mean. If I make too much money I can't have it? See, I own a small business as a partner with my husband. All we can afford is major medical at about $6000 a year for my family with a very large deductible. But depending on how they calculate my income, it may be based on the business' gross income and then I'm screwed.

Cover All Americans With Quality Care
The Kerry-Edwards plan will give every American access to the range of high-quality, affordable plans available to members of Congress and extend coverage to 95 percent of Americans, including every American child. Their plan will also fight to erase the health disparities that persist along racial and economic lines, ensure that people with HIV and AIDS have the care they need, end discrimination against Americans with disabilities and mental illnesses, and ensure equal treatment for mental illness in our health system.

At what cost? Nice health plans aren't cheap. If I can't afford anything better than major medical, what difference does this make to me? If I'm rejected for coverage by my crappy insurance company, how will I afford the premium for a Cadillac plan as a high risk insured?

Provide Affordable Prescriptions
The Kerry-Edwards plan will reduce prescription drug prices by allowing the re-importation of safe prescription drugs from Canada, overhauling the Medicare drug plan, ensuring low-cost drugs, and ending artificial barriers to generic drug competition.

This is cool. Great. Looking forward to it.

Cut Waste And Inefficiency
Today, approximately 25 percent of health care costs are wasted on paperwork and administrative processing. The Kerry-Edwards plan harnesses American ingenuity to cut waste, save billions, and take new steps to ensure patient privacy.

Where are the details. Don't see how they are going to force insurance companies to pass the miniscule savings from this program and make it stick. With exponentially growing premiums, it sounds like something only the insurance companies will benefit from.

By now you've probably figured out that I think this is one of Kerry's weakest planks. It's all bones, no meat. Yeah, it's better than the chimp's plan, but it's nothing to get excited about. If you want to tout Kerry's strengths, I would suggest you find a better one than this.

on edit: fix italics

[AlinPA]

2. You make all good points. Details are needed, no question, but

this is a lot better than saying the only reason we have so much trouble with health care is due to "trial lawyers".

[sybylla]

3. Of course

It's baby steps in the right direction, not a giant leap in a tangential direction at best.