The Blog Formerly Known As Vote '08

Tonight on NewsChannel 9 at 5:30, we took a look into the sticky issue of pensions for police officers & firefighters for the city of Chattanooga.

You can read more of NewsChannel 9 reporter Will Carr’s excellent coverage of that story here, here, here, & here, & find Derek Dellinger’s report on today developments here.

As a jumping off point, the 5:30 newscast examined the broader issue facing many Americans - how to pay for health care during their retirement.

A survey released yesterday by Fidelity Investments finds folks face an uphill climb when it comes to paying for health care during retirement. Fidelity found a couple retiring this year will need about 225 thousand dollars in savings to pay for health costs. That’s up almost 5 percent from last year. And it’s up from 160 thousand dollars which Fidelity projected as a cost in 2002.

After the jump, we’ll take a look at what each candidates plans are for fixing the broken health care system, according to each of their campaign’s websites - & don’t worry, we’ll be painting in broad brushstrokes, & provide you a link to more details if you want them.

John McCain’s health care plan

• Opposes federally mandated universal coverage.
• Would increase awareness and promote the use of existing children’s health insurance programs while expanding community health centers.
• Supports health care tax dividends for low-income Americans
• Medical malpractice reform
• Improve electronic record-keeping
• Expand health savings accounts
• Encouraging small businesses to band together to negotiate lower rates with health care providers.

Criticism of McCain’s health care plan

Barack Obama’s health care plan

• Would create a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided health care and who do not qualify for other existing federal programs.
• Lets individuals choose between the new public insurance program or from among private insurance plans that meet certain coverage standards.
• Requires employers who do not provide health coverage for employees to pay into the national health insurance program.
• Does not mandate individual coverage for all Americans, but requires coverage for all children.
• Allows individuals below age 25 to be covered through their parents’ plans.
• Cost estimated between $50 billion and $65 billion, to be paid for by eliminating Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000.

Criticism of Obama’s health care plan

Hillary Clinton’s health care plan

• Mandates individual health insurance coverage for all Americans.
• Offers federal subsidies for those who cannot afford it.
• Allows individuals to choose from among several private plans also offered to members of Congress, as well as a new public insurance plan modeled after Medicare.
• Requires insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone who applies, and bars insurance companies from charging higher premiums to those with pre-existing conditions.
• Requires large businesses to provide or help pay for employee coverage.
• Expands Medicaid and federal children’s health care programs.
• Offers tax credits to limit health care premiums to a certain percentage a family’s income.
• Cost estimated at $110 billion annually, to be paid for by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000, as well as by reducing waste and inefficiencies in the current system.
• Also limits the amount employers can exclude from taxes for health care benefits for those making over $250,000.

Criticism of Clinton’s health care plan

If you’re looking for delving into the big details, this page has access to several side-by-side pdf files.

WHICH PLAN DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST? POST A COMMENT & LET US KNOW!

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