Health Care

America has a health care crisis. Nearly 47 million of us have no health care coverage—and millions more can’t afford health care or medicines.

In March, the AFL-CIO called for a guaranteed health care coverage system modeled on an improved Medicare program. (Read more about our proposal and find out more about what’s wrong with health care in America today.)

Check out the 2008 presidential candidates' positions on health care.

John McCain (R)

McCain has advocated shifting health care responsibility to individuals.

"In a WMUR New Hampshire town hall meeting, McCain said the biggest problem with health care is inflation and that responsibilities must be shifted from the employer to the individual. He also noted the importance of allowing small businesses to create health care pools and emphasized medical malpractice reform. McCain said, 'you’ve got to make portable health insurance more affordable' and that to make health care portable, premiums would probably have to go up." (WMUR New Hampshire, 3/30/07)

In the past year, McCain has posted two health care-related press releases on his Senate website, both supporting stem cell research. Prior to that, most of his public statements advocated legislation he co-sponsored to make generic drugs more accessible.

In a 2003 statement, he labeled “medical malpractice reform…one of the most critical factors negatively impacting our nation's health care system.”

Barack Obama (D)

Obama says universal health care is coming.

"'The time has come for universal health care in America,' Obama said at a conference of Families USA, a health care advocacy group. 'I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country,'” the Illinois senator said. (Associated Press, 1/25/07)

In May, Obama announced a plan to provide health care for all by 2012. Obama’s plan, according to Newsday, would work within the existing private insurance system but would provide subsidies to help insurance purchasers on a sliding scale. Nearly all employers would be required to share the cost of coverage. Obama would prevent insurers from withholding coverage because of pre-existing conditions; he also would focus on lowering costs by emphasizing preventative coverage and better management of chronic diseases.

 

"The time has come for universal, affordable health care in America.…My plan begins by covering every American. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is that the amount of money you will spend on premiums will be less.…If you are one of 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, you will after this plan becomes law." (Newsday, 5/29/07)

Obama’s website describes his principles for improving health care quality and reducing costs:

"These include tackling medical inflation and spiraling health care costs, developing new mechanisms to extend portable, affordable coverage, and reforming health care delivery so that it emphasizes prevention and efficiency." (Campaign website)