ON THE TRAIL OF HEALTH CARE
Covering the candidate's coverage
You've heard what they had to say about health care at the last presidential debate. Now, caregivers can read specifically what Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama have in mind for "Joe the Plumber" and other Americans.
In their October 9, 2008 issue, The New England Journal of Medicine asked both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to "describe their plans for reforming the U.S. health care system." In two essays, the nominees offered perspectives that were by-the-numbers...literally.
In brief:
Republican nominee John McCain supports "a comprehensive and inclusive approach to lowering costs and reforming our health care system with a focus on four pillars." These pillars are: 1) access and choice; 2) quality; 3) affordability; and 4) portability and security.
Democratic nominee Barack Obama offers a plan with "three central tenets." First, he believes everyone should have access to "high-quality, affordable health care." Second, he wants to eliminate waste from the system, such as "doctors providing unnecessary care for fear of being sued." Thirdly, he promotes a public health infrastructure that focuses on disease prevention.
For more details, read the full essays at The New England Journal of Medicine website [content.nejm.org.] or go to each of the candidate's campaign sites:
www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues
www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare