April 30, 2008

This week, John McCain is traveling across the country outlining his plan for comprehensive health care reform.  Here are key points of the Senator’s plan.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable And Affordable:

• ACCESSIBILITY:  John McCain will reform health care making it easier for individuals and families to obtain insurance.  An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people’s needs, lower prices, and portability.  Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

• TAX BENEFITS:  John McCain will reform the tax code to offer more choices by providing a refundable tax credit ($2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families) to offset the cost of insurance.

• PORTABILITY:  John McCain proposes making insurance more portable so insurance follows Americans from job to job.

• HSAs:  John McCain will encourage and expand the benefits of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for families.

A Specific Plan of Action to Lower Health Care Costs:

• LOWERING DRUG PRICES:  John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.

• CHRONIC DISEASE:  Providing quality, lower cost care for chronic disease.  By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs.

• GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE:  Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care.  Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail stores.

• SMOKING:  Promoting the availability of smoking cessation programs.

• MEDICAL MALPRACTICE: We should eliminate frivolous lawsuits and excessive damage awards.

A Specific Plan of Action:  Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients:

• John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage or with pre-existing conditions often have the most difficulty obtaining the coverage they need.

• John McCain will work with states to establish a Guaranteed Access Plan.  As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow – a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP – that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage.

• John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is adequately funded and has the right incentives to reduce costs for higher risk patients.

 

This Week’s Note From Jo Ann:

Health care is expected to be one of the top three or four issues in the 2008 Presidential election.  We know that it is a key issue with women voters.  This brief outline of Senator McCain’s health care plan should assist you in carrying the message that John McCain believes we can and must provide access to better health care, at lower cost, for every American.

Click here for the complete archive of the Co-Chairman's Talking Points