The Blog World Showing Support for Barack Obama

This comes from a website called US Pharm D

Obama vs McCain on Healthcare: Top 10 Issues

By Laura Milligan

Besides the economy, foreign policy and homeland security, health care is one of the top issues in the upcoming presidential campaign and beyond. From high cost premiums to preventative treatments to preexisting conditions, Americans are struggling to find a plan that will keep them healthy for many years, not just when they need emergency care or when they can afford it. Both John McCain and Barack Obama have pledged to radically change the way health care is organized and accessed, but what are the fundamental differences? Read below for the top 10 health care issues laid out by both candidates.

1. Child health careObama wants children to be covered as soon as they are born. Parents will be able to sign up their children for health care through their employee health coverage if they want, or they can look into other options like Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or new plans set up by the Obama administration in the future. Some of these future plans may include a government subsidy awarded to families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need help paying for their children’s coverage. Parents may be required to submit proof of their child’s insurance coverage before enrolling them in school or daycare in order to ensure that children are receiving health care insurance. Obama argues that because health insurance will be more affordable under his plan, this system would not cause problems for families.

   McCain wants families to be able to choose the best option for their lifestyle and their particular health conditions and health risks. He does not favor mandated health coverage for anyone, including children, and believes that the increase in competition among health insurance companies will naturally bring the price of coverage down, making it more affordable and accessible for even low-income families.

2. Private Companies vs. Government Intervention:McCain believes that by encouraging private companies to sell health insurance, rates would fall and the quality of care through individual and family plans would rise due to competition. Individual Americans would have more choice to shop around and find the most affordable and most sensible plan for their families. McCain’s ultimate health care wish is to put control back in the hands of patients and everyday Americans. This plan follows the theory that American families can make the best decisions regarding their own health care coverage.

   Obama wants to regulate the way health care companies and drug companies do business while still promoting competition. In order to ensure that low-income families and individuals who have a hard time getting insurance can acquire coverage, the government would have to set up terms that force the insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions. Obama favors competition among health insurance companies, so long as quality care is one of the forces driving competition, as well as lower prices. Consumers who are happy with their current plan and/or employer-sponsored plan will not have to change their health insurance. The only difference they will see is a smaller bill for the same coverage, according to Obama, who estimates that savings could add up to $2,500 for families. Employers would also be given various incentives to offer affordable insurance plans to their employees, fueling competition.

3. Tax breaks for businesses and individuals:McCain would still allow individuals to get health insurance through their employers if they want. All families will receive a $5,000 tax credit and all individuals a $2,500 tax credit that will be sent from the government to whichever health insurance agency the family or individual chooses to use for coverage.

   Obama favors a Small Business Health Tax Credit that would help small businesses pay for health insurance for their employees. Businesses would also receive government help for catastrophic health costs, which are purchased in order to secure lower premiums for their employees. For individuals, Obama pledges to give “everyone who needs it” a tax credit to offset the price of purchasing premiums.

4. The Elderly:On this issue, both candidates seem to recognize the crisis facing baby boomer retirement and the burden of paying for long term care for the growing American senior population.

   Under Obama’s plan, everyone would have a chance to secure affordable health care, even the elderly. Obama also wants health insurance companies to cover preventative procedures, like cancer screenings, which would help Americans catch and treat diseases earlier, alleviating the heavy burden of more serious, costly conditions that worsen when not treated or diagnosed. Treating conditions earlier saves money and lives in the long run, according to Obama’s theory.

   McCain favors the existing Cash and Counseling and The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs. PACE offers assistance to seniors who need help paying for Medicaid and Medicare. It also helps seniors find, organize and pay for long-term care services.

5. The idea of universal health care:Obama wants to directly sponsor universal health care while McCain believes that tax credits for individuals would naturally result in more people purchasing health care. Obama’s plan involves more heavily mandated programs and specific regulations on drug companies and health insurance agencies. Even though Obama does support competition and employer-sponsored health insurance, he would use the National Health Insurance Exchange to hold insurance companies accountable for high-cost premiums.

   McCain favors a version of universal health care that would naturally develop due to increased freedom for choosing health care plans and a laissez-faire approach to regulation. McCain does, however, want the states to take a more active role in developing the economy of health care. Governors would also help to ensure that their citizens have fair access to affordable health coverage by lowering overhead costs, fund nonprofits to work with insurance agencies on behalf of denied patients, and more.

6. John McCain’s Guaranteed Access Plans:McCain’s Guaranteed Access Plans would involve participation from the states. Governors would design a plan to help the “traditionally uninsurable,” including low-income families and individuals and those with preexisting conditions to get health insurance. McCain also plans to make available certain incentives that would encourage states and insurance companies to fund low-cost solution for in-need citizens.

   Under Obama’s plan, there would be no such thing as “traditionally uninsurable,” as health insurance companies would have to approve patients with preexisting conditions. This system is referred to as “guaranteed eligibility,” and even patients with mental health conditions will be taken care of. Small business owners and the self-employed would also be protected under the guaranteed eligibility idea.

7. Extent of government help:McCain would help those below a certain income level, very sick people, and the elderly pay for care. These “higher risk patients” would receive special attention from their states and from federally sponsored programs. Other individuals and families would benefit from the $5,000 and $2,500 tax credits awarded to them by the McCain administration.

   Obama plans to make available the same type of health care to all people, regardless of income or health. In addition to Obama’s government mandates regulating health care, his administration would sponsor a National Health Insurance Exchange, a plan benefiting those who prefer to or must purchase plans from private companies, like the self-employed. Individuals will be able to purchase low-cost health insurance plans that are structured similarly to the plans that members of Congress have, and their plan would not expire if they changed jobs. Also, Medicaid and programs like SCHIP would be expanded. Under Obama’s plan, individuals would still be able to choose their own doctors and stay with the same health insurance plans if they wish.

8. Budget:McCain favors measures that would make prescriptions cheaper by fueling competition; make health care for chronic diseases more affordable and efficient by emphasizing prevention, new treatments and research, and the use of health care technology; support more walk-in clinics to encourage early care; encourage coordinated care; reform Medicaid and Medicare; reform medical liability; and publicize health care costs.

   Obama’s health care budget will cost between $50 and $65 billion. He intends to pay for the plan by minimizing tax cuts awarded to those who earn more than $250,000 a year and by “retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level,” according to his campaign website.

9. Portable, accessible health insurance:McCain favors health insurance plans that people can keep even if they change jobs. Since health insurance could be bought privately, insurance could also be purchased “across state lines,” referred to as portable insurance. This action would also alleviate some of the pressure from small businesses who can barely afford to help pay their employees’ premiums.

   Obama’s National Health Insurance Exchange allows privately purchased insurance to remain effective even if an individual changes jobs. The difference between this system and McCain’s portable insurance idea is that Obama’s plan is funded by and organized by the national government, while McCain’s is not.

10. Education and EfficiencyObama will disallow health insurance companies to overcharge doctors because of malpractice insurance. Instead, money will be put into programs that improve the efficiency and quality of health care, like health information technology systems, improving education and prevention about diseases–especially chronic illnesses–and helping those who normally can’t get health insurance pay for preventive treatments and regular check-ups to minimize the number of emergency room visits that can’t be paid for by individuals. Spending more in the short term reduces waste, the onset of preventable advanced diseases, and major costs from emergency visits that are needed to treat those advanced diseases that could have been caught early on with a simpler, cheaper trip to a doctor’s office or clinic.

    McCain is afraid that a government-run health care system would make health care more inefficient. Private companies, he argues, would be more equipped to deal directly with patients, and patients would be able to pick and choose the plan that suits them best. Health Savings Accounts, according to McCain, serve to educate Americans about making the right choices regarding health care. McCain also wants to fund programs that educate Americans about smoking and other health risks.

John McCain came out swinging in the third and final Presidential Debate.  He seemed intent on his promise to “kick Obama’s you know what” at Hofstra Wednesday night.

But somewhere between hello and goodnight, Senator McCain let his temper get the best of him.  Maybe his campaign didn’t tell him about the split-screen that would capture his every move.  He had a bad case of the Al Gores through the second half of the debate, huffing and rolling his eyes quite a bit.

In CBS Poll, fifty-three percent of uncommitted voters surveyed said Barack Obama was the winner of Wednesday’s debate. Twenty-two percent said McCain won. Twenty-five percent saw the debate as a tie.   A CNN poll taken after the debate found the same thing.

McCain never really recovered from Bob Schieffer’s turning the debate towards the candidates’ views on attack politics.  Obama really turned the corner there with his explanation of who he “pals around with,” Republicans who have served on boards with Bill Ayers, and rising above the fray.  McCain drove the low road express right into the gutter and where people aren’t willing to go this time.

Obama continues to be seen as a front runner after the debate but in an early morning breakfast on Thursday, he warns supports against overconfidence.  This comes from Ben Smith’s Politico Blog:

At a breakfast fundraiser this morning, Obama used the example of the New Hampshire primary, when he lost to Hillary Rodham Clinton after a huge win in Iowa, to warn his supporters against overconfidence, Carrie Budoff Brown reports.

Otherwise, they may get “spanked,” he said.

“For those of you who are feeling giddy or cocky or think this is all set, I just have two words for you: New Hampshire,” Mr. Obama told top contributors at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. “I’ve been in these positions before when we were favored and the press starts getting carried away and we end up getting spanked.”

He added, “That’s another good lesson that Hillary Clinton taught me, so we want to make sure that we are closing strong, running through the tape.”

Less than 3 weeks, and I can’t wait for this to be over.  And someone please tell Joe the Plumber I said hello.

I’m excited to announce that Dallas South is launching a Blog Talk Radio Program this Thursday night (Sept. 25) at 10:00 p.m CST.  The show called Shawn P. Williams Now, will focus on the same things that we talk about here at Dallas South – politics, media, sports, and current events.

Jazzy who blogs at Because I Said So, and contributes here at Dallas South is going to be our co-host.   We did a pilot (which is actually out there for public consumption) on Tuesday to work out some of the kinks.  I think it’s going to be fun.

Our first guest on Thursday will be Casey Thomas, president of the Dallas branch of the NAACP.  We will be discussion voter registration, turnout, and the potential for voter suppression.

You can find the show by clicking here, or going to blogtalkradio.com and searching for Shawn P. Williams.  See you on Thursday!

Fat Jack’s Erratic Rants reports on a Bikers 4 Obama Rally in Springfield, Missouri.

Rep. Sara Lampe takes a spin on Don Woolsey’s

bike after the BIKERS FOR OBAMA rally.

Personal freedoms, health care for American workers, purchasing American products, democracy, and American business investments back into American communities were just some of the issues that BIKERS FOR OBAMA brought up at the rally today. Rep. Sara Lampe, Rep. Charlie Norr, and some local workers all spoke.

Lampe, when asked by KY3’s David Catanese why the American government should be forced to buy American products, as the free market can determine the best products and the best prices, she retorted that we should not purchase products that were made in overseas sweatshops and unknowingly support, through our tax dollars, human trafficking.

David Catanese, KY3, asks questions of Rep. Sara Lampe.

John Cook, Bryan Emory and Don Wooley – local blue collar, Harley-riding workers – also gave speeches talking about the importance of the American worker and American products. It was their speeches, really, that resonated with me. “I care who built that motorcycle,” said Emory about his Harley-Davidson.

Bryan Emory tells the crowd the importance
of his American-made motorcycle.

I think that is true about most, if not all, Harley owners. The Harley-Davidson motorcycle is a part of American iconography. It is as uniquely American as comic books. Harley riders do not ride just to save gas. The experience of the road, that deep sound of horsepower chugging along Route 66, and the pride of Harley ownership is something special, something that we treasure. It’s not a motorcycle; it is a lifestyle.

These regular Joes, if you will, these hard working, blue collar men tapped into their beliefs and pride of the American dream and the American experience. To them America is not about making as much money as possible, it is not about golden CEO parachutes or unregulated banks cashing in on consumerism, it is not about greed at the expense of the community. America is about hard-working Americans living a good life.

For John Cook, American jobs are
integral to a functioning democracy.

The message from these workers was clear and strong: We cannot support policies that ship American jobs overseas. They advocate to end the tax breaks for businesses that engage in such practices, a policy that is supported by Barack Obama and opposed by John McCain.

Rep. Charlie Norr takes pride in American workers.

Lampe pointed out the inconsistency when she asked Catanese how a group can proclaim itself as “Country First” if that same group then supports jobs being shipped overseas? These guys were especially harsh, even angry, that McCain (according to them) opposed buying Harley Davidsons for the Secret Service. They, of course, take pride when they see law enforcement riding the greatest symbol of American motorcycling. To those of us who ride a Harley, the bar and shield symbolizes freedom.

The Harley-Davidson is a lifestyle not a motorcycle.

Watch for yourself.  You couldn’t make this stuff up.

Is it wrong for me to expect my Vice President to be smarter or more informed than myself???

Palin Makes Her First Gaffe

“Today’s jobs report is a reminder of what’s at stake in this election – John McCain showed last night that he is intent on continuing the economic policies that just this year have caused the American economy to lose 605,000 jobs.  John McCain may believe that the fundamentals of our economy are ’strong,’ but the working men and women I meet every day are working harder for less, the typical working age family’s income is down $2,000 since George Bush took office, and their purchasing power is as low as it’s been in a decade.  John McCain’s answer is more of the same:  $200 billion in tax cuts to big corporations and oil companies, and not one dime of tax relief to more than 100 million middle-class families. 

If I am President, I will cut taxes for 95% of all working families and provide an immediate $50 billion to struggling states so that they don’t have to cut back on health care and education and can rebuild roads and schools. That’s the change working families need right now,” said Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Obama’s Emergency Economic Plan includes:

·         Cut taxes for 95 percent of working families – by $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a married couple. Barack Obama supports a set of middle class tax cuts including a “Making Work Pay” credit that would provide $500 for an individual or $1,000 for a married couple – a benefit for 95 percent of workers and their families. Given the pressing situation in the economy today he would like the first round of checks to be delivered as quickly as possible to help families cope with the rising price of gasoline, food and other necessities.

·         $25 billion in a State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education and housing assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees. The fund will also ensure sufficient funding for home heating and weatherization assistance as we move into the fall and winter months.

·         $25 billion in a Jobs and Growth Fund to replenish the highway trust fund; prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund new, fast-tracked projects to repair schools – all to save more than 1 million jobs in danger of being cut.

The Obama campaign is working week after week to empower supporters to organize online and connect that work to campaign activities in their own local communities.

For the people out there who want to know what the Obama campaing is emphasizing in any given week so that you can promote it on your own blogs and to your communities, you can join a new Google group they have recently created:

http://groups.google.com/group/obama-organizing-group

They’ll send out updates to this group at least weekly, if not more frequently, with information on what their organizing focus is.