Barack Obama on Health Care

The goal of Obama's plan is to provide health insurance coverage to every American, through both public and private means. His plan would mandate that all children have health care coverage. Those who have insurance through their employers or who qualify for Medicaid or the State Children's Insurance Program (SCHIP) would be able to keep that coverage. For those who don't, Obama would create a new public insurance program. People could not be turned away because of illness or pre-existing conditions. Estimated annual costs for his program would be $50-$65 billion, financed by rolling back Bush tax cuts for people making more than $250,000.

Health Insurance: Private/Government

• Mandate health care coverage for all children.
• Provide affordable health insurance that is portable (you can keep your insurance if you change or lose your job, etc.), for every American, regardless of illness or pre-existing conditions.
• Offer a new federal public health insurance program, similar to the health care program for federal employees, available to individuals and businesses who don't have any other coverage.
• Establish a "National Health Insurance Exchange" for private insurance. It would act as a watchdog group to create rules and standards and make coverage more affordable to those who want private insurance. Participating insurers would have to offer benefits similar to those in the new public plan.
• Require employers to contribute to workers' health care insurance.

Medical Costs

• Reduce catastrophic illness costs by reimbursing employer health plans for expenses that go above a certain threshold, as long as employers then use the savings to reduce their employees' health insurance premiums.
• Improve access to programs to manage chronic conditions.
• Conduct cancer screenings, smoking cessation programs, and more by federally supported insurance programs.
• Update health information technology.
• Ensure full transparency by hospitals revealing quality, safety, and cost of care.

Health Savings Accounts

• Currently not addressed in his health care platform.