high-quality care. The Obama plan will:
Lower Costs by $2,500 per Family and Improve Quality.
Health care spending is expected to double within the next decade even though Americans already spend almost twice as much per person as citizens of other industrialized countries and receive poorer health outcomes. Under the Obama plan, the typical family will have lower costs of $2,500 each year. To lower these costs and improve quality, Barack Obama will:
Make an up-front investment of $50 billion in electronic health information technology systems to reduce errors, and save lives and money.
Reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees by reimbursing employers for a portion of costs if savings were used to lower workers’ premiums.
Require disease management programs and integrated preventive care to help bring down the costs of caring for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Require health plans to disclose what percentage of premiums actually goes to patient care as opposed to administrative costs.
“I want to wake up and know that every single American has health care when they need it, that every senior has prescription drugs they can afford, and that no parents are going to bed at night worrying about how they’ll afford medicine for a sick child. That’s the future we can build together.”
—BARACK OBAMA, June 5, 2008, Bristol, Virginia
Launch a comprehensive effort to tackle health care disparities.
Reform medical malpractice while preserving patient rights, and strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for malpractice insurance.
Eliminate the excessive subsidies paid to Medicare Advantage plans and pay them the same amount it would cost to treat the same patients under traditional Medicare.
Guarantee Health Coverage for Every American.
Barack Obama’s health care plan both builds on and improves the current insurance system, and leaves Medicare intact for seniors. For all Americans who like their health insurance, nothing changes except that they will have lower costs—$2,500 for a typical family. For those who do not have health insurance or who do not like their health insurance, they will have a range of private insurance options—accessible through a new National Health Insurance Exchange that is similar to what members of Congress have—as well as a public plan. The public plan will cover all essential medical services—including preventive, maternity, disease management, and mental health care. Costs will be low, but Americans who cannot afford it and do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP will receive a tax subsidy to pay for coverage. The health insurance coverage will be portable among jobs, easy to enroll in and use, and of high quality. Finally, to provide an incentive for small businesses to provide health insurance, Barack Obama will provide a refundable tax credit worth up to 50 percent on premiums paid to these companies.
Bring Down the Costs of Prescription Drugs.
The second-fastest growing type of health expense is the cost of prescription drugs. Americans should be able to afford the cutting-edge cures that our pharmaceutical industry develops. To bring down the costs of prescription drugs, an Obama Administration will:
Allow Americans to import inexpensive and safe prescription drugs from countries where the same medicines are cheaper.
Increase the use of generic drugs in all public health plans, stop large drug companies from paying to keep generics out of markets to preserve their profits, and create a pathway to bring generic vaccines and other biologic medicines to the market.
Allow Medicare to negotiate for better prices.
Promote Prevention.
In the absence of a dramatic shift toward preventing illness and promoting public health, we will not be successful in containing medical costs or improving the health of the American people. Obesity is an epidemic that is seriously impacting the health of millions of Americans—especially children—and one-third of all Americans are living with a chronic condition. If we put more of our health care funds into prevention, we could save tens of millions of dollars and improve millions of people’s lives. As President, Barack Obama will work with every sector of society—employers, school systems, community groups, and families—to ensure that Americans have access to preventive care. He will require that all federally supported health care plans cover these services, and will support efforts to promote healthy habits, lifestyles, and environments.
It’s not enough to just get families back on their feet. To get our economic engine humming again and to grow the middle class, we need to expand opportunity for all Americans. We need to make it easier for families to get an education, put away a nest egg, own a home, start a business, and provide a better life for their children. And we need to discard the outdated policies that don’t work and invest in what works—what actually expands opportunity and enables America to compete globally. To empower American families to succeed, Barack Obama will:
Ensure That Every Child Gets a World-Class Education.
Now more than ever, success in the world economy begins at the schoolhouse door. A good education is critical for being able to live one’s dreams. Moreover, attracting and growing good jobs here at home relies on having a highly educated, skilled workforce. That’s why we must start investing in our people as soon as we can by giving every child a world-class education—in science, math, English, history, civics, and the arts. As President, Barack Obama will make a historic commitment to our children’s education. He will set high standards and improve accountability—and give our schools the resources they need to meet those standards. He will recruit, prepare, retain, and reward a generation of new teachers. An Obama Administration will encourage additional learning time in schools and double funding for after-school programs to serve one million more kids. And Barack Obama will invest in zero-to-five early childhood education so that more children will have the best start they can at learning and life.
Make College Affordable for Everyone.
The cost of going to college has grown nearly 40 percent in the past five years. If we do not act now, by 2010, it’s estimated that over the previous ten years, two million academically qualified students will not go to college because they can’t afford it. Opening the doors of colleges to all who want to enter them is an investment in America worth making. As President, Barack Obama will create a new $4,000 American Opportunity Tax Credit to make community college completely free and cover two-thirds of the cost of tuition at the typical public university. Recipients of this credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of public service a year. He will simplify and streamline the financial aid application process, increase the maximum limit for Pell Grants, and eliminate federal subsidies to private student loan companies.
Create Automatic Workplace Pensions.
Currently,
