Ask the Experts: Presidential Advisers on Health Care Reform

By Christine Cupaiuolo — October 7, 2008

Kaiser Family Foundation is sponsoring live webcasts with advisers to presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on the subject of the candidates’ health reform proposals. From Kaiser:

Sen. Obama has proposed a plan that builds on the existing employer-based system, while expanding public programs, putting in place new insurance regulations and providing new coverage options. Sen. McCain’s plan would replace the existing tax preference for employer-based coverage with a refundable tax credit for the purchase of private insurance, and allow people to buy health insurance across state lines. During these live webcasts, details of each candidate’s proposals and the rationale behind them will be discussed and questions from viewers will be answered by the candidates’ advisors.

Larry Levitt, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and editor-in-chief of kaisernetwork.org, will moderate the discussions. The first, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, 11-11:30 a.m. ET, is with David Cutler, health policy adviser to Obama’s campaign and professor of economics at Harvard University.

The discussion with Jay Khosla, health policy adviser to McCain’s campaign, is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 16, 1-1:30 p.m. ET.

Send your questions in advance of or during the live program to ask@kaisernetwork.org.

In preparation, don’t forget about Kaiser’s Health08.org, which features a side-by-side comparison of the candidates’ health care proposals, among other cool tools and election news.

Plus: Kaiser will release an election brief on women’s health in mid-October. The research group “joins a cluster of prominent health-care groups — the Women’s Law Center, the Center for Policy Analysis, the Women’s Universal Health Initiative, the National Women’s Health Network, MergerWatch and the Avery Institute for Social Change — which are still wondering how the candidates’ plans could affect women,” writes Molly M. Ginty in this Women’s eNews story on how health care advocates are pushing the campaigns for answers.

One response to “Ask the Experts: Presidential Advisers on Health Care Reform”

  1. Under Obama’s health care plan, he states on his web site and in the 2nd debate that parents would be required by law to insure their children. While it would be fantastic to have them covered, the sad truth is, that the reason some parents do not have them covered is because they cannot afford it. What fines will be imposed and what happens if the parents cannot pay the fine? Jail? Have their children taken away?

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