 |
|
Megan Hauck |
With the presidential election just days away, WebMD welcomed a top national policy advisor to the George W. Bush campaign to answer your questions about health care issues. We looked at President Bush's plans for insurance coverage, prescription drugs, and more when Megan Hauck was our guest on Oct. 26, 2004.
MEMBER QUESTION: I can't understand why we cannot import drugs from Canada. They are the same drugs made by the same manufacturers, just cheaper. There is a bipartisan bill called the Dorgan-Snowe bill, introduced in April to allow safe importation from several Western countries and break the drug industry's attempted blockade of Canada. According to the AARP Bulletin, Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters at the Republican National Convention that Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was "doing everything he can to keep the bill from being up for a vote. If it was up it would pass 75 to 25." Does your candidate support this bill? What is he doing to get it passed? HAUCK: President Bush signed into law a provision as part of the Medicare prescription drug bills, which allows importation of drugs if they are certified as safe. However, the FDA has been unable to certify safety and has found that 88% of drugs coming into this country are improperly stored, improperly packaged, or otherwise contained banned substances. The safety of America's drug supply is one of the most important responsibilities that this administration faces. More important is bringing the cost of drugs down in this country. The President has already done that through competition, which the nonpartisan Congressional budget office says has a better chance of reducing drug costs than importation. In fact, seniors are saving an average 60% off their drugs with the Medicare discount cards. MEMBER QUESTION: I want safe drugs, but the high prices encourage bogus drugs. Do you really believe that Canadians are out to get us or are so backward they can't create safe drugs? HAUCK: The issue is not about the safety of Canadian drugs; the issue is about protecting the borders and making sure that those drugs actually come from Canada. Spot inspections from the FDA show that more often than not these drugs come through Canada from countries like India and China. The Canadian government has already stated they will take no responsibility for drugs coming through their country. The American people have a right to expect that their government will ensure the safety of their drug supply.
MEMBER QUESTION: I am 19 weeks pregnant and do not have health insurance. I lost it in May of 2003 when I was laid off from my job. I have tried open enrollments, but that would cost me nearly $1,200 a month. My college's student health plan considers my pregnancy pre-existing. In order to qualify for state aide I had to quit my part-time job. I also cannot marry the father of my child because our income would be too high at $18,000/year. He doesn't receive health benefits at his job, either. Does George W. Bush's health care plan address the issues that face pregnant women without health insurance? HAUCK: President Bush's health plan addresses the needs of all Americans without health insurance. The focus of the President's plan is to address the rising cost of health care and give all American families and individuals more choice. A provision of the Medicare bill signed into law last year created health savings accounts that allow all Americans to purchase a high-deductible, lower-cost insurance product, while saving tax-free in their own account to pay for their health care needs and to control their health care spending. These plans cut the cost of health insurance almost in half and allow individuals and families who lose their jobs or are between jobs to take their health care with them. With the health savings account, people control their own health care decisions and their own health care account. MEMBER QUESTION: In order to fund a health savings account, small businesses and the working poor would have to have EXTRA money lying around. This doesn't appear to be the case. What if you can't afford to put money away in a health savings account? Or am I not understanding how these work? HAUCK: The average cost of a family health insurance plan in the United States is almost $10,000. High deductible plans associated with the health savings account on average are half that cost, and in fact, over half the purchasers of these plans on a brokerage firm called E Health Insurance, pay less than $100 a month for their premiums. For a family that otherwise would pay $10,000, paying $5,000 frees up half of that for investment in their HSA, which rolls over from year to year, earns interest tax free, and may be spent tax free, as long as it is on health care needs. For low-income working families, President Bush proposes refundable tax credits for up to $3,000 for families and $1,000 for individuals, which allows them to use a portion for their premium and a portion to pre-fund their health savings account. MEMBER QUESTION: Excuse me, who would pay the deductible? HAUCK: The beneficiary pays the deductible. So as a family or an individual, you would be responsible for the first $2,000 or $1,000, depending on the plan and the number of people covered. However, all spending up to the deductible, as well as spending on procedures and treatments not covered by the health insurance plan would be with pre-tax money, unlike current plans, which require out of pocket spending with after-tax dollars. In addition, about 40% of HSA purchasers were previously uninsured, and the President proposes a tax credit for small businesses up to $500 per family and $200 per individual for their contribution to the health savings account. MEMBER QUESTION: Where does President Bush stand on the issue of "presumed consent" (16 people die PER DAY on the transplant waiting list waiting on donor organs)? Does he favor changing the law to presumed consent? HAUCK: I don't know that President Bush has taken a specific position on this issue, but organ donation/transplantation is a very important issue to both the President the Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Secretary Thompson has focused on an organ donation initiative and has challenged 300 hospitals to increase the donation rate of their institutions to 75%. In addition, the Secretary launched the Gift of Life initiative to promote organ donation, as well as tissue, bone marrow, and blood donation. All of this is with the focus on making organ donation a way of life.
The opinions expressed herein are the guests' alone and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician. |
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.
Print This Page
Email a Friend
