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Health Care

Health care, is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. According to the World Health Organisation, health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including "preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations". The organised provision of such services may constitute a health care system. The debate about U.S. health care concerns questions of access, efficiency, and quality purchased by the high sums spent. The overall performance of the United States health care system was ranked 37th by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000, but the same report assessed Americans' overall health at 72nd among 191 member nations included in the study. However, the WHO study has been criticized by conservative commentators as biased because it marked down countries for having private or fee-paying health treatment and rated countries by comparison to their expected health care performance rather than objectively comparing quality of care. Furthermore, most Americans rate their own health as "excellent" or "very good". The National Health Interview Survey, released annually by the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics reported that approximately 66% of survey respondents said they were in "excellent" or "very good" health in 2006. This percentage has been declining since 1998.

Joseph Biden on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Reduce the cost of health care and provide it to the 48 million Americans who don't have it.
Description:	Biden says the United States Health Care system is simply outdated. The next president has two main challenges in front of him: 1. Reducing the costs of health care 2. Providing health care to the 48 million Americans who don't have it He supports accomplishing these two goals by focusing on three simple dimensions of the health care industry: 1. Modify the system 2. Simplify the system 3. Reduce errors One of the best methods that Biden would initially encourage is establishing electronic medical practices across the nation. This will increase efficiencies in the process, allowing quicker service and reduction of errors.
Citations:

1.	The Presidential Candidates on Health Care (7/27/07) Two big quotes from Biden on healthcare.
2.	Q&A with Joe Biden (7/27/07) Biden answers the question "How would you deal with the nation's health care crisis?"during an interview.
3.	Affordable Healthcare (7/13/07) Biden talks about health care to some folks in NV.
4.	Biden on Health Care (7/13/07) Biden outlines his plan for health care.
5.	Joe Biden: Health Care (7/13/07) Outlines Biden's goals and 3 point plan for health care.

Michael Bloomberg on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Use electronic health record systems, reduce smoking, obesity, focus on prevention
Description:	Bloomberg has said that universal health insurance alone won't automatically lead to the health improvements unless we start paying for prevention as well as treatment, saying that, "We're paying for a disease care system, not a health care system. We must fundamentally reorder our priorities, and start rewarding the primary and preventive care that keeps people out of hospitals in the first place." Bloomberg also supports information technology in health care and the role it can play in preventive care, detailing the successes that the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs have had implementing Electronic Health Records systems. To speed the pace of change, the Mayor called for a new national goal: five years from today, every doctor's office, clinic, and hospital in America that accepts Medicaid and Medicare must be using prevention-oriented Electronic Health Records. Electronic Health Records, the Mayor noted, will allow private insurers and Medicare and Medicaid to make meaningful measurements of physicians' performance, help them improve it, and recognize and reward them when they do.
Citations:

Public Health (8/15/07)
Mike Bloomberg's passion for public health shows in his work both in the public sector and the world of philanthropy. As Mayor of New York, his groundbreaking initiatives to reduce smoking addiction, tackle obesity, and encourage preventive medical care have been praised and, in many cases, replicated in cities, states, and countries around the globe. Mike Bloomberg also helped build the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University into one of the world's premiere institutions of public health research and training.

Sam Brownback on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Advocates market-based healthcare; established regulatory competition among states.
Description:	"Our health care system will thrive with increased consumer choice, consumer control and real competition. I believe it is important that we have price transparency within our health care system. "Consumers should be able to choose the from health care coverage plans that are tailored to fit their families' needs and values. Accordingly, individuals should be allowed to purchase health insurance across state lines." I will continue to work at the forefront to create a consumer-centered, not government-centered, health care model that offer both affordable coverage choices and put the consumer in the driver's seat." - Sam Brownback
Citations:

1.	The Presidential Candidates on Health Care (7/27/07) Brownback's stance and quotes on healthcare.

Hillary Clinton on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Supports incremental reforms to provide universal access to health care
Description:	Clinton supports incremental reforms that would provide universal access to health care by subsidizing insurance premiums for those unable to pay, but not Single-payer health care. In a speech to Harvard Medical School on June 4, 1998, Clinton outlined general support for universal affordable health care for Americans. "There are 41 million people without health insurance. Who will take care of these people in the future? How will we pay for their care? How will we pay for the extra costs that come when someone is not treated for a chronic disease or turned away from the emergency room? The job of health care reform cannot be done when access to care depends on skin color or the neighborhood they live in or the amount of money in their wallet. Let's continue to work toward universal affordable, quality health care." Clinton later said that health care coverage improvements need to be made incrementally over time, in contrast to the more ambitious, wide-ranging plan that failed in 1993-1994. Clinton has recently collaborated with former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich on joint proposals for incremental health care improvements that would involve both private insurers and government. But Clinton has always said that a Canadian-style Single-payer health care plan was politically unrealistic, from the 1993 Clinton health care plan to the present.
Citations:

1.	Hillary Clinton on Health Care (7/5/07) Clinton later said that health care coverage improvements need to be made incrementally over time, in contrast to the more ambitious, wide-ranging plan that failed in 1993-1994. Clinton has recently collaborated with former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich on joint proposals for incremental health care improvements that would involve both private insurers and government.
2.	The Presidential Candidates on Health Care (7/27/07) Two big quotes from Hillary about healthcare.
3.	Sen. Hillary Clinton Answers Iowans; Questions (7/27/07) Hillary answers questions about healthcare and voices her support for universal healthcare.
4.	Hillary Clinton Delivers Address on health care costs (7/27/07) Hillary speech about healthcare at GW university.
5.	Hillary Introduces Her Plan (10/23/07) Hillary presents her Health Care plan.
6.	Hillary on Health Care (10/23/07) Hillary discusses her plan to achieve universal health care at a forum sponsored by SEIU and the Center for American Progress.

John Cox on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Competition by patient and doctor choice, accountability and cost control, ending tax deduction for employee health insurance to provide patient choice and consumer power.
Description:	Competition in health care will bring down costs and improve efficiency. We should inject patient and doctor choice into the system to create more accountability and cost control. As president, I will use America's influence to force an end to foreign governments' subsidizing drug costs at Americans' expense. Ending the tax deduction for employee health insurance would provide more opportunity for patient choice and consumer power. - John Cox
Citations:

Health Care (9/9/07)
Competition in health care will bring down costs and improve efficiency. We should inject patient and doctor choice into the system to create more accountability and cost control. As president, I will use America's influence to force an end to foreign governments' subsidizing drug costs at Americans' expense. Ending the tax deduction for employee health insurance would provide more opportunity for patient choice and consumer power.

Christopher Dodd on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Supports Universal Healthcare, subsidized by employers and the government.
Description:	"Everyone participates, everyone benefits. All the stakeholders -- individuals, employers, the government -- are involved in coming up with a system here that would make it possible to reduce those numbers of 47 million of our fellow citizens who have no health care to make sure they'll be included." - Christopher Dodd
Citations:

1.	Presidential Candidates on Health Careth Care (7/27/07) Quotes and stance on healthcare.
2.	Transcript: Sen. Chris Dodd (7/27/07) Dodd comments on healthcare.

John Edwards on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Supports Universal Health Care
Description:	Edwards' plan would offer cash payments in place of long-term patents for companies that develop certain breakthrough drugs and then reap large profits because of the monopolies those patents provide. He said offering cash incentives instead would allow multiple companies to produce generic and other versions of those drugs to drive down prices. Campaign officials said the payments could be voluntary for drug companies and would be aimed at spurring the development of drugs that cure diseases. He also said his plan would require health insurance companies to spend at least 85 percent of the premiums they collect on patient care, adding that 30 percent of insurance premiums currently go toward administrative expenses and profit. He said New York, Minnesota, New Jersey, Florida already impose similar requirements. His plan also would require that all Americans sign up for health insurance and would enact various reforms aimed at lowering administrative costs for providers and improving chronic and preventive care for patients.
Citations:

1.	Meet The Press Transcript for Feb. 4, 2007 (7/6/07) On page 4 of this transcript, John Edwards says: "he bottom line is we're asking everybody to share in the responsibility of making health care work in this country. Employers, those who are in the medical insurance business, employees, the American people - everyone will have to contribute in order to make this work."
2.	Edwards' health care plan includes higher taxes (7/6/07) John Edwards discusses his universal health care plan and its tax ramifications on Meet The Press with Tim Russert.
3.	Edwards lays out health care plan (7/6/07) Outlines John Edwards health care plans.
4.	Democratic Debate - Edwards on Health Care (7/31/07) John Edwards at the Democratic debates discussing how Washington needs to take on drug companies and HMOs.
5.	Will you stand up? (Health Care) (7/31/07) John Edwards stating he stands up for universal health care.
6.	John Edwards - Energy Plan, Iraq, Universal Health Care (7/31/07) John Edwards outlines his plan for universal health care: 1.) Covers every single American. 2.) Requires employers to either cover their employees or pay into a fund for coverage. 3.) Government sets up health care markets so citizens can choose between private health care and a government run health care. 4.) Government subsidies health care for low and middle income families. 5.) Mandate use of techology and redo record keeping to increase efficiency. 6.) Mental health treated like physical health. Chronic care, long term care, and preventative care are all covered. This would cost 90-120 billion and would largely be funded by rolling back tax cuts for people who make more than $200,000 a year.
7.	The Presidential Candidates on Health Care (7/27/07) A few quotes and a summary of Edwards stance on healthcare.
8.	Interview With John Edwards on Healthcare (10/9/07) John Edwards talks about how he will let the people decide.
9.	Steelworkers, Miners Endorse Edwards (10/15/07) "In our America, every single American will have health care coverage. We will require it by law. We will get rid of the gaps in the health care system. I don't claim that universal health care is free. My proposal will cost $90 billion to $120 billion a year. But I have a way to pay for it. Get rid of George Bush's tax cuts for people who make over $200,000 a year." - John Edwards

Newt Gingrich on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Move health care records from paper to computers, move to a system of long-term-care insurance, cover every citizen, revise medicaid policies, and cheaper drugs
Description:	Newt Gingrich has outlined 5 ways he plans to change the current health care system. He supports moving health care records from paper to computers to improve efficiency. He also advocates a long-term-care insurance to provide for the elderly. He would like to revise medicaid to provide health care to the "healthy poor" and other at risk groups. Finally, he supports changing the way drugs are purchased to a comparative method where the user can opt to buy a higher paying drug if they choose and still have it subsidized by their insurer.
Citations:

1.	Newt: Taking Health Care to the Next Level (8/26/07) 1.) Digitize health care 2.) Develop long term care insurance 3.) 100% insurance coverage 4.) Transform medicaid 5) Change drug purchasing model

Rudolph Giuliani on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	opposes socialized medicine, make private insurance affordable through tax deductions, provide health care vouchers to poor
Description:	"What I would do is change the whole model that we have for health insurance in this country. The problem with our health insurance is it's government- and employer-dominated. People don't make individual choices. It's your health
Citations:

1.	Rudy Giuliani on Health care (7/10/07) Rudy Giuliani on Health Care.
2.	The Presidential Candidates on Health care (7/10/07) Comparison of candidates positions on health care.
3.	Mayor Giuliani on Health Care (7/10/07) Giuliani discussing his position on Health care during the Republican Presidential debate held by CNN on June 5, 2007.
4.	2008 DMR/ IPTV IA Republican Debate (Part 2) (12/19/07) Rudy wants to create an exemption to allow people to buy their own health care.

Al Gore on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Favors a move towards non-government universal health care; Physicians, not HMO's should make the decisions; supports a strong national patient's bill of rights; proposes a prescription drug benefit under Medicare for all seniors
Description:	"It's one of my top priorities, to give every single child in the United States affordable health care within the next four years. I would like to see eventually in this country some form of universal health care, but I'm not for a government-run system... I think we ought to have a patient's bill of rights to take the medical decisions away from the HMOs and give them back to the doctors and nurses... I support a strong national patient's bill of rights. I want to streamline the approval of the competing generic drugs and the new kinds of treatments that can compete with them so we bring the price down for everybody... You pick your own doctor, and nobody can take that away from you. The doctor chooses the prescription that you need and nobody can overrule your doctor. You go to your own pharmacy and then Medicare pays half the price. If you're poor, they pay all of it. If you have extraordinarily high cost, then they pay all over $4,000 out-of-pocket. And I'll bring new competition to bring the price down... I want to give a tax credit for the purchase of individual health insurance plans. I want to give small business employers a tax credit, 25%, to encourage the providing of health insurance for the employees in small businesses. I want to give seniors who are, well, the near elderly, I don't like that term because I am just about in that category, but those 55 to 65 ought to be able to buy into Medicare for premiums that are reasonable and fair and significantly below what they have to get now."
Citations:

1.	October 11, 2000; The Second Gore-Bush Presidential Debate (7/23/07) Presidential debate between Gore and Bush
2.	October 17, 2000: The Third Gore-Bush Presidnetial Debate (7/23/07) third and final Campaign 2000 debate between the Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Al Gore, and the Republican candidate, Governor George W. Bush of Texas.

Mike Gravel on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Issue Vouchers To Everyone Based on Their Projected Needs
Description:	"Under the plan we would issue vouchers to every single American. And the vouchers, you don't pay for them, they're issued to you. You sign up every year for them. And the vouchers will have a very modest co-pay, a very modest deductible, but that's it. Everybody gets the same product universally in the United States of America. And then if you want more than the product you got, you pay for it. The vouchers are set up for risk on an individual basis, not on a collective this fits all, because if you're young, you probably don't have a cost of more than $3,000. When you're my age, it could be $150,000-$180,000 in one year... One of the facets of the plan would be to keep in place Medicare and Medicaid and phase them out over time. Because plans to put everybody on Medicare aren't going to fly financially and just can't be met." - Mike Gravel
Citations:

1.	Transcript: Sen. Mike Gravel (7/27/07) Transcript from Gravel speaking at the Presidential Forum on Health Care.
2.	The Presidential Candidates on Healthcare (7/27/07) His quotes and summary on healthcare

Chuck Hagel on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Review the current state of health care and present recommendations for a sustainable, accessible, affordable and quality health care system
Description:	Senator Hagel formed a Health Care Commission which has brought together key health care professionals and leaders from Nebraska and the nation's health care fields. The purpose of the Commission is to review the current state of health care and present recommendations for a sustainable, accessible, affordable and quality health care system for the 21st century. - Hagel's Campaign Website
Citations:

Issues: Health Care (8/14/07)
Senator Hagel formed a Health Care Commission which has brought together key health care professionals and leaders from Nebraska and the nation's health care fields. The purpose of the Commission is to review the current state of health care and present recommendations for a sustainable, accessible, affordable and quality health care system for the 21st century.

Mike Huckabee on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Supports focusing on disease prevention
Description:	Governor Mike Huckabee supports increasing emphasis on illness prevention to reduce the cost of health care.
Citations:

Issues: Health Care (9/10/07)
The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health system". We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed.

Republican Debate Transcript, Des Moines, Iowa, August 5, 2007 (8/6/07)
"We're not going to fix it until we begin to address the fact that this country has put its focus not on wellness, not on prevention, not on health, but on sickness. And that's the single most important and urgent thing that has to be done. And if we don't do that, then we're going to continue just pouring money -- and it's almost like having a boat that's taking on water, and rather than plugging the hole, we want to get a bigger bucket to take the water out of the boat."

Duncan Hunter on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Allow citizens to buy health insurance across state lines
Description:	At the republican debate on June 5, 2007, Duncan Hunter said, "Here's what we have to do: We need to be able to buy our health care insurance across state lines, Wolf. Right now the same single policy that can be purchased in Long Beach for $73 costs $334 in New Jersey."
Citations:

Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/6/07)
"Eighty percent of the new drugs and new inventions that save our lives, that help preserve the lives of the relatives of everyone who's in this particular room right now, 80 percent of those inventions are made in the United States because we have free enterprise, where people can go out, invest. And maybe they drill three dry holes in trying to produce a good drug that will save somebody's lives. Then maybe they hit the jackpot and they produce something that will save people and help their health.

They then recover their money in the United States. And what they have left over, in terms of market, they put into the Third World. But Third World countries like Mexico could never provide the amount of money that it takes to make those inventions. Otherwise, they would.

Here's what we have to do: We need to be able to buy our health care insurance across state lines, Wolf. Right now the same single policy that can be purchased in Long Beach for $73 costs $334 in New Jersey.

The states lock up the insurance industry. They won't let Americans buy across state lines, just like they do everything else. If we're able to do that...

... we're going to bring down the cost of health insurance."

Dennis Kucinich on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans.
Description:	Kucinich wants to do the following to health care... 1. Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income. 2. Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare. 3. Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid. 4. Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
Citations:

1.	Congressional Election 2006 National Political Awareness Test (7/9/07) A questionnaire that Kucinich was given on things he will support if elected president
2.	Congressional Election 2006 National Political Awareness Test (7/9/07) A questionnaire that Kucinich took on things he would support if he became president.
3.	The Presidential Candidates on Healthcare (7/27/07) A quote and a stance summary on Kucinich and healthcare.
4.	Transcript: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (7/27/07) A transcript of Kucinich's speech where he outlines his plans for universal healthcare.
5.	Kucinich's replies @ Aug. 7, '07 Dem. Pres. Debate (11/16/07) Kucinich wants a single payer, not for profit system.

John McCain on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Against Government Sponsored Universal Healthcare
Description:	Senator John McCain believes there are other things that can be done to improve health care in the United States besides the government offering health care to its citizens. At the republican debate on May 3, 2007 in Simi Valley California, Senator McCain proposed a $3,000 tax credit for people who purchase their own health insurance. While campaigning in Iowa on Oct 11, 2007 Senator McCain proposed a $2,500 tax credit to individuals and a $5,000 tax credit to families.
Citations:

1.	Republican Debate Transcript, Simi Valley California, May 3, 2007 (8/6/07) "I'd give the president of the United States the line- item veto on these bills as well as spending bills. The alternative minimum tax is obviously eating Americans alive, and it's got to be repealed. Another one -- another one I think is important is a $3,000 tax credit for people to be able to purchase health insurance. So low- income Americans will have access to health care, which is an amazing and difficult problem today. And a simpler, flatter, fair tax so that Americans don't have to spend $140 billion, as they just did last April, to prepare their tax returns."
2.	Votes Database (7/5/07) John McCain did not vote on 4/26/2007 on a health insurance legislation for troops, veterans, victims of hurricane Katrina and Rita, and children's state health insurance.
3.	Straight Talk On Health Care (7/26/07) John McCain believes there are other things the government should do before offering universal health care.
4.	Online News Hour: Perscription Drugs (7/26/07) "There are people today, as we speak, who are making a choice between their health and their income. Madame President, that's wrong. It's wrong."
5.	Republican Candidate McCain Wants More Health Choices (10/15/07) John McCain outlines his plan for health care tax credits.

Barack Obama on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Proposes Universal Healthcare
Description:	Barack Obama believes that before the end of the next presidency there will be universal health care.
Citations:

1.	Obama Calls for Universal Health Care (7/5/07) Barack Obama outlines his desire for universal health care in America.
2.	New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate (7/27/07) Obama in a debate with JRE and Clinton which includes the topic of healthcare.
3.	The Presidential Candidates on Healthcare (7/27/07) A summary of Barack's healthcare stance.
4.	Healthcare Address in Iowa City (10/23/07) Barack Obama discusses his healthcare plan, and tells the personal story of a supporter in Iowa City on May 29, 2007.

Ron Paul on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Supports credit for families, seniors, and tax-free health savings accounts. Also supports free market health care system.
Description:	Ron Paul has voted for health care tax credits to families, Negative outcomes insurance, $500 per child tax credit for medical expenses and prescription drugs, $3,000 dollar tax credit for children with terminal illnesses, cancer, or disabilities, and to waive the employee portion of Social Security payroll taxes. He supports the U.S. converting to a free market health care system, saying in an interview on New Hampshire NPR that the present system is akin to a "corporatist-fascist" system which keeps prices high.
Citations:

1.	Lowering the Cost of Health Care (7/5/07) Paul calls for passage of tax relief bills to reduce health care costs for families.
2.	Free Trade in Pharmaceuticals (7/5/07) Ron Paul would support a tax credit for senior citizens who need to pay for costly prescription drugs. He would also allow them to import drugs from other countries at lower prices. He has called for health savings accounts that allow for tax-free savings to be used to pay for prescriptions.
3.	Paul for President? (7/5/07) Paul voted for the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would allow the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to get the best price for drugs provided in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.
4.	Diagnosing Our Health Care Woes (7/5/07) Ron points to the 1974 ERISA law that grants tax benefits to employers for providing insurance but not individuals.
5.	NHPR Ron Paul interview (7/5/07) Paul opposes socialized health care promoted by Democrats as being harmful because they lead to bigger and less efficient government.
6.	Texas Straight Talk (7/5/07) He opposes government regulation of vitamins and minerals (some proposals he opposes would require a prescription for vitamins).

Bill Richardson on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Require everyone to get insurance, subsidized by employers and the government.
Description:	"No. 1, my plan is mandatory. You do have everybody sharing -- the employer, the employee, you have the state and the federal government. Secondly, I believe that we can have a plan where if you were satisfied with your health care plan, you can keep it. No new bureaucracy. " - Bill Richardson
Citations:

1.	New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate (7/27/07) Richardson in a debate talks about healthcare.
2.	Bill Richardson at AFSCME Candidate Forum (7/27/07) Bill Richardson speaking to AFSCME, some of which is about healthcare.

Mitt Romney on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Require everyone to have coverage and provide aid for those who cannot afford it.
Description:	As governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed legislation that required that nearly all Massachusetts residents obtain health insurance coverage by establishing means-tested state subsidies for people without adequate employer insurance, by directing funds designated to compensate for the health costs of the uninsured, and also specified penalties for those who fail to obtain coverage. Legislation, effective on July 1, 2007, requires health insurance for all state residents, provided a plan is available to the individual that is deemed affordable according to state standards. Employers with eleven or more employees are mandated to offer approved insurance plans for employees. Romney had vetoed eight sections of the health care legislation, including a $295 per person fee on businesses with 11 employees or more that do not provide health insurance. Romney also vetoed provisions providing dental and eyeglass benefits to poor residents on the Medicaid program, and providing health coverage to senior and disabled legal immigrants not eligible for federal Medicaid. However, the state legislature overrode all of the vetoes.
Citations:

1.	The Massachusetts Experiment (7/19/07) Talks about Mitt Romney's new health care law.
2.	Mitt's vetoes on health care make pols sick (7/19/07) Many lawmakers are upset in Mass. about Romney's veto of health care system reforms.
3.	An Act Providing Access to Health Care (7/19/07) Health care legislation signed by Romney

Tom Tancredo on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Cut the cost using association health plans and possibly federal incentives and subsidies.
Description:	"The two major problems are the high cost of care and the number of uninsured. Tort reform and immigration enforcement would save the system billions and drive down costs. As for the uninsured: as many as 25% of them are illegal aliens and should be deported or encouraged to leave. For citizens and legal residents who are employed by businesses which cannot afford coverage, I favor association health plans which band small businesses together to access lower cost insurance. For those out of work, state governments should be the primary source of relief, although I would not rule out federal incentives or limited subsidies to make sure families who have fallen on hard times are not without coverage. " - Tom Tancredo
Citations:

Republican Debate Transcript, Des Moines, Iowa, August 5, 2007 (8/7/07)
"Let me suggest -- let me suggest we think about something in the area of health care that perhaps is unique, different and scary to some people, but that is this: The government -- it's not the responsibility of the federal government to provide womb-to- tomb health care for America.

And so, we constantly debate on exactly what way we want to push government control of this issue, but in every way we're doing it, it's unhealthy. It is unhealthy to have a government health-care plan in America. There are some things we can do, absolutely. The expansion of health savings accounts that increases individual responsibly. The allowing for people to actually take -- the reimportation of prescription drugs. And not only that, but let's do something about the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in this country that are taking a large part of our health-care dollars."

Healthcare (7/26/07)
How Tom Tancredo will decrease the cost of healthcare.

Tommy Thompson on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Against Government Run Heath Care
Description:	Governor Tommy Thompson proposes to improve health care by focusing on four areas. First, he would like to make it a wellness system to prevent diseases and injuries before they occur. Second, he would like to reduce chronic sickness by educating Americans on tobacco, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Third, reduce the costs of the most expensive diseases. And fourth, use information technology to reduce the overhead cost associated with health care.
Citations:

1.	Republican Debate Transcript, Des Moines, Iowa, August 5, 2007 (8/7/07) "David, I want you to know that health care is one of my major dominant fields. I was secretary of health. Neither one of them are right. The problem is, is Governor Huckabee is absolutely correct. We've got a sickness, illness and disease society. We spend 90 percent of $2 trillion, ladies and gentlemen -- that's 16 percent of the gross national product -- on getting people well after they get sick. Less than 10 percent of the money keeping you out of the hospital, out of the nursing home. Does anybody in America think that's a smart idea? I think it's dumb. Let's go to wellness and prevention. Number two, let's start managing diseases in America. Let's make sure that individuals that are chronically ill and physically disabled are able to get the quality of health and therefore get the quality of life. They take up 66 percent of the cost. You could reduce that down to 50 percent. Number three -- I just would like to say -- on the uninsured, you could get one form, like we do on the 1040 for taxes, one form for the employment system, and you could save $137 billion. That would cover all of the uninsured in America without raising taxes, ladies and gentlemen."
2.	Republican Presidential Debate - June 5, 2007 (7/26/07) "You know, I've been here for two debates. We never had one question on health care. Thank that person for talking about health care. Number one, we spend $2 trillion on health care. That's 16 percent of the gross national product. Ninety-three percent of the cost of health care goes into waiting until after you become sick. Only 7 percent of the money is used to keep you well in the first place. We got to completely transform the health care system, make it a wellness system and make it a prevention system. Secondly, we have 125 million Americans that have one or more chronic illnesses. In order to change this, we have to educate the American people about tobacco, about diabetes, about cardiovascular and about obesity. You do that, you'll be able to change health care. The third thing, 25 percent of Americans use two-thirds of the cost of health care. If you manage those diseases, you can reduce that down to 50 percent and save lots of money. Fourth, information technology, electronic medical record, a patient bill of rights and be able to have e-prescribing. And if you do that, you're going to be able to save billions of dollars. If you just go paperless, ladies and gentlemen, you will save 10 percent of the cost of health care."
3.	Tommy Thompson on Healthcare (7/26/07) Senator Tommy Thompson would like to transform the U.S. health care system into a wellness system that prevents sicknesses before they occur. He would also like to improve the efficiency of the health care system. "We must build a system that is affordable and accessible for everyone. And we can do this without government-run health care that robs our great nation of its ingenuity in developing new cures and treatments for deadly diseases. And we can do it only when we take some common-sense steps to bring our health care system into the 21st century. We must use the private sector and public sector to provide health insurance for all."

Fred Thompson on Health Care More on this candidate

Stance:	Opposes socialized / universal health care
Description:	Fred Thompson has spoken against socialized health care. He has not stated whether he would change the current health care system.
Citations:

1.	Duplicating Disaster (8/26/07) We're hearing those phrases again; national health care, universal health care, socialized medicine. We're being told that government bureaucrats can take over our entire medical industry -- which by the way is the best and most complex in the world -- and make it better. It used to be a lot easier to make the case for nationalizing health care before we actually started looking at the countries that have it. A lot of people don't seem to have noticed but, in recent years, the grand experiments in bureaucratic medicine are coming apart at the seams. Nearest home, it was the Canadian Health Care system that lost its luster. Despite paying nearly half their incomes in taxes, and as much as 40 percent of each tax dollar on health care, many Canadian experts have recognized that their health care system's in a state of crisis. The problem has been, simply, not enough health care facilities to serve the population -- leading to long and sometimes fatal delays while waiting for treatments. Many Canadians have started coming to the US for treatments that they just can't get at home. Now, top officials of the British National Health Service, often held out as an example of the kind of socialized medicine America should adopt, have acknowledged that they have similar problems. One in eight National Health Service hospital patients has to wait more than a year for treatment. Thirty percent wait more than 30 weeks. Think about it. This is what we're supposed to copy? The poorest Americans are getting far better service than that. And there's nothing about Americans that would make us any better able to run a government health care bureaucracy than the Canadians or the British. In fact, we've got less practice at that sort of thing than they do -- and we might be a lot worse at it.
2.	2008 DMR/ IPTV IA Republican Debate (Part 2) (12/20/07) "Specifically, as far as Medicare is concerned, we need to tell people that are in Warren Buffet's category that we aren't going to take care of all of your Medicare. We can't afford it." - Fred Thompson.
3.	Fred on "HillaryCare" (10/26/07) Fred Thompson gives his thoughts on Hillary Clinton's new health care proposal. He says the best way to improve health care is to expand choice.

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Stance:	If children want health care, they should become senators
Description:	"If children want health care, they should become senators." - Stephen Colbert
Citations:

Health Care

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