Democratic Presidential Nominee Kerry Promotes Health Care Plan at Campaign Stops in Several States

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) this weekend in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona promised that as president, he would "provide relief to the millions of Americans struggling without health insurance and preventive health care" as part of his train tour across the nation, the Denver Post reports (Crummy, Denver Post, 8/8). Kerry has proposed a health care plan that would cost about $653 billion over 10 years and would expand coverage to an estimated 26.7 million residents. Kerry has said that he would help finance the plan with the repeal of tax cuts for families whose annual incomes exceed $200,000 (California Healthline, 8/3).

Kerry on Saturday in Colorado told an audience of about 5,000 that he would reduce health insurance costs by $1,000 for U.S. residents; provide health coverage for all children "as of Day One"; and allow residents between ages 55 and 64 to pay to enroll in Medicare early. According to Kerry, "The policy that most Americans have now is the 'pray that you don't get sick' policy." He added, "We will make it possible to buy into the same health plans congressmen and senators have" (Denver Post, 8/8).

Kerry on Sunday in New Mexico spoke at the annual Inter-Tribal Ceremonial Pow Wow and told about 5,000 American Indians that he would provide more health care funds for their tribes, the Washington Post reports. Kerry also spoke "extensively about his health care plan" with leaders from reservations in the state, where American Indians account for about 10% of voters, the Washington Post reports (VandeHei/Fitzgerald, Washington Post, 8/9). "It is a sad fact that one-third of Native Americans lack health insurance, and it's a sad fact the life expectancy of Native Americans is lower than other groups. We spend more money on the health care of federal prisoners than we do on the health care of Native Americans," Kerry said (AP/Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 8/9).

Kerry also "pledged to invest in Native American health care" in a campaign speech in Arizona, the AP/Austin American-Statesman reports. President Bush plans to visit New Mexico and Arizona on Monday (Dalrymple, AP/Austin American-Statesman, 8/9).

The Washington Post on Saturday examined the "divided White House," in which some advisers have recommended that Bush provide more details on several proposals, such as his health care plan, and others have raised concerns that "any detailed proposal will present a target for Democratic attack while potentially looking like an election-year panic" (Weisman/Allen, Washington Post, 8/7). Bush has proposed a health care plan that would cost about $90.5 billion over 10 years and would extend health coverage to an estimated 2.1 million U.S. residents (California Healthline, 8/3).

According to the Washington Post, White House aides said that in his speech at the Republican National Convention later this month, Bush likely will provide "more specific and substantive" details about his proposals than Kerry did at the Democratic National Convention last month. In addition, White House aides said that the speech likely will include a "key second-term economic proposal" that focuses on an expansion of health coverage through health savings accounts for employees and larger risk pools for companies, the Washington Post reports (Weisman/Allen, Washington Post, 8/7).

The Kerry health care plan would have a "substantially higher federal cost" than the Bush proposal, but that is "what the American public wants," Joel Kramer, executive director of Minnesota-based Growth and Justice, writes in a Minneapolis Star Tribune opinion piece. Kramer cites a recent Commonwealth Fund survey that found 62% of respondents would "give up the entire federal tax cut in order to help guarantee health insurance security for everyone." According to Kramer, the survey also found that 69% of respondents would prefer $1,000 per capita cap on the tax cut to expand health coverage to the uninsured. However, Kramer writes, "one thing you can be sure of: A lot of people who favor the Kerry approach ... will vote for Bush" (Kramer, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 8/9).