Here's a blurb on what the party positions toward Health Care tend to be in the United States. I've chosen some helpful paragraphs from different websites and pasted them below.
DEMOCRATS
Bush's Medicare Rx program helps companies more than seniors. (Jul 2004)
Expand coverage and cut healthcare costs. (Jul 2004)
Every American should have affordable health insurance. (Aug 2000)
Add prescription drug benefit to Medicare. (Aug 2000)
Health care and insurance coverage
Democrats call for "affordable and quality health care," and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area. Many Democrats favor a national health insurance system in a variety of forms to address the rising costs of modern health insurance. Some Democrats, such as Rep. John Dingell and Senator Edward Kennedy, have called for a program of "Medicare for All."[26]
Some Democratic governors have supported purchasing Canadian drugs, citing lower costs and budget restrictions as a primary incentive. Recognizing that unpaid insurance bills increase costs to the service provider, who passes the cost on to health-care consumers, many Democrats advocate expansion of health insurance coverage.
REPUBLICANS
ABC for AIDS: Abstinence, Be faithful, Change behavior. (Sep 2004)
Ethical research yes; embryo cells no; cloning no. (Sep 2004)
No assisted suicide. (Sep 2004)
Government-run universal health care leads to inefficiencies. (Sep 2004)
A reformed Medicare will give seniors choice, flexibility. (Aug 2000)
Give individuals tools to manage their own health needs. (Aug 2000)
Allow customization of insurance, support health centers. (Aug 2000)
Lawyers should not hold physicians hostage. (Aug 2000)
The party opposes a single-payer universal health care system, such as that found in all other developed countries, referring to it as "socialized medicine" and is in favor of the current personal or employer-based system of insurance, supplemented by Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. The GOP has a mixed record of supporting the historically popular Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs, all of which Republicans initially opposed. On the one hand, congressional Republicans and the Bush administration supported a reduction in Medicaid's growth rate.[10] On the other hand, congressional Republicans expanded Medicare, supporting a new drug plan for seniors starting 2006.
Since the elections and such are such a hot topic, the following link goes to a page that discusses the candidate's views on health care: http://www.ontheissues.org/News_Medicare_+_Medicaid.htm
The link below is a recent article online that discusses some of the pros and cons of the American Health Care system: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Campaign08/tb1/8856
Question: The linked article above asked citizens if they thought American health care was the best in the world. From what you know about health care do you think our system is the best? Why or what could be changed to make it better?
Please blog about your reactions to these platforms and issues!
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1 comment:
Obviously, both sides have good points. It's just finding a middle ground that's the next step. Universal health care isn't going to work, not in America, it's not who we are. So, as Americans, we must find new and innovative ways of providing opportunities to all people to live long and healthy lives, because that is American. People should be able to make their own decisions, and they're own judgment calls on their health, be them right or wrong (so long as it doesn't hurt someone else). We need to find a new way of doing things, not somebody else's way of doing things. Just because Europe has universal health care doesn't mean we should. We need changes, huge changes. But not that. It just won't work in America. (We hate taxes)
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