Barack Obama Return to Candidate Profile Page ยป
Do you have a plan to make health care more accessible to Americans? If so, how would you do it?
Every American has the right to affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage. My plan will ensure that all Americans have health care coverage through their employers, private health plans, the federal government, or the states. My plan builds on and improves our current insurance system, which most Americans continue to rely upon, and creates a new public health plan for those currently without coverage. Under my plan, Americans will be able to choose to maintain their current coverage if they choose to. For those without health insurance I will establish a new public insurance program, and provide subsides to afford care for those who need them. My plan includes a mandate that all children have health care coverage and I will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs to help ensure we cover all kids. My plan requires all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan. Under my plan a typical family will save $2,500 each year. We will realize tremendous savings within the health care system from improving efficiency and quality and reducing wasted expenditures system-wide. Specifically, these savings will result from investments in health information technology, improvements in prevention and management of chronic conditions, increased insurance industry competition and reduced industry overhead, the provision of federal reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, and reduced spending on uncompensated care.
Do you support allowing a portion of the money currently withheld for Social Security to be put into private accounts? Why or why not?
No, I do not support the privatization of Social Security. I opposed President Bush s privatization scheme because it would have undermined -- not strengthened - Social Security. We should not add greater risk or debt to the system. Otherwise, workers who contribute to the Social Security System may face the prospect of inadequate benefits when they retire or if they become disabled if their investments go sour. Workers have lived up to their end of the bargain. Surely, the federal government can do the same. Social Security is one of the most important government programs ever created; it provides a vital safety net to millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities. The long-term problem with this program is real but manageable. With a little genuine bipartisan leadership, we can make the necessary adjustments without gutting the system with privatization, as President Bush has proposed.