Obama’s health care plan unveiled

Like the plans of other candidates, presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama’s health care plan is "aimed at covering the nearly 45 million uninsured Americans and reducing premium costs for everyone else." (New York Times)

The main points of his plan:

• reliance on the "existing employer-based system and a new government program to make health insurance accessible to everyone"
• reduction in the "cost of health insurance by helping with expenditures for catastrophic illnesses. Ie. the "federal government [would] cushion employers from sudden, disastrous spikes in health expenditures, by reimbursing health plans for the cost of catastrophic illnesses among their employees"
• "new scrutiny and new limits on the profits of the biggest insurance companies"
• Elimination of President Bush's tax cuts for those who make $250K+/yr in 2010, when the tax cuts are up for renewal.
• Employers (with the exception of small businesses) would be required to either cover their employees or "pay the government a set percentage of their payroll to provide it."
• Creation of a "public plan for individuals who cannot obtain group coverage through their employers or the existing government programs"
• "Children would be required to have health insurance."
• "Subsidies would be available for those who need help with the cost of coverage."
• Creation of "National Health Insurance Exchange, a regulated marketplace of competing private health plans intended to give individuals other, more affordable options for coverage. The public plan would compete in that Insurance Exchange."

The main issue other candidates are pointing at, is the fact that Senator Obama's plan does not require every American to have insurance and therefore "is not a true universal health plan."

Looking beyond the promises, the primary issue we should all be looking at is: can the plans be carried out and fulfilled?

Promises are great, but actions are better.

Walk a Day in My Shoes…

Have you ever heard of this program?

Well, let us tell you... It's a campaign by the SEIU (The Service Employees International Union), the largest health care union in this country, inviting all presidential candidates to walk in the shoes of their member -- professional caregivers--for a day. With this program, presidential candidates get to experience first hand what professional caregivers have to go through everyday and the issues that concern them, such as being able to receive a paycheck that will support a "family, affordable health care, a secure retirement and a better life for themselves and their families."

We had written previously about the fact that professional caregivers--- those who care for your loved ones day in and day out, those who must clean and bathe and accompany your loved ones--- don't even have health insurance themselves and can't afford to have a professional caregiver care for them when they need it.

If the presidential candidates are serious about changing healthcare --as they all say--then they need to experience firsthand what the challenges and issues are that the average health care worker faces.

As the "Walk a Day in My Shoes" website states:

"Because if presidential candidates understand the struggles workers face each day, they will be better able to offer the 21st century solutions this country needs."

We agree!

Watch the coverage of presidential candidate, John Edwards, Thursday morning on Good Morning America as he Walks a Day in the shoes of an SEIU member.

Caregiving has been given a national stage.

Because of the unfortunate situation of the Edwardses, caregiving has been front and center across the nation (and perhaps the world). EVERYONE is talking about it, one way or another. (Below are some links to just some of the articles).

Now with Katie Couric's "60 Minutes" Interview on Sunday, this discussion has gained even more momentum. Yes, many people have been criticizing Ms. Couric for the manner in which she asked the questions -- her harsh tone, her pessimistic "you do know you're dying, right?" attitude -- especially since she went through a similar situation caring for her husband who died of colon cancer, and her sister, who died of pancreatic cancer. Perhaps there is some truth to the criticisms in that there might be some resentment or personal opinion that Ms. Couric was expressing in her tone. However, the questions themselves, though harsh, are exactly what the nation has been debating -- was it the right decision to continue with the campaign despite fighting this recurrence of cancer? Was it Mr. Edwards' ambition that influenced the decision? What about their children-- has anyone thought of them? Will the stress and strain of a presidential campaign accelerate Ms. Edwards' ailment?

Each one of us can give an opinion --- we are all entitled to that. However, there is no one who has the answer as to whether this was the right decision --- other than the Edwardses. We can all ask these questions, but in reality, the ultimate decision on what is right for them, falls on the Edwardses.

New York Times: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/couric-criticized-for-interview-with-edwardses/

CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/24/60minutes/main2605038_page2.shtml

Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-milazzo/katie-couric-you-were-un_b_44284.html

Forget the pumps. Dress code for this political fundraiser: t-shirts, Lycra, and sneakers

This may be a first. A political fundraiser by former President Bill Clinton on behalf of Presidential hopeful, Senator Hillary Clinton, held during a spinning class at SoulCycle spinning studio on the Upper West side in Manhattan.

Yes, you read right -- a fundraiser during a spinning class.

40 men and women paid $2,300 each to hear Mr. Clinton speak about good health care and take questions on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. Though Mr. Clinton did not spin, according to the New York Times article "Bill Clinton Raises $70,000 Without Breaking a Sweat," he seemed to have accomplished the goal of informality and getting to hear people's thoughts/ praises/criticisms regarding Senator Clinton's campaign.

All in all, this was a great (and very creative) way to raise money, hear people's concerns, and combine health/wellness/healthcare (a strong focus in Senator Clinton's campaign) with politics.

Courageous, strong, inspirational…

Those are words that have been attributed to Elizabeth Edwards from the other democratic presidential candidates after hearing about Mrs. Edwards’s renewed battle with cancer.

And they're right.

Mrs. Edwards has an uphill battle. Instead of cowering and letting the recurrence of cancer take her over, she is -- and will --fight it. In today's news conference she said she will continue on with her schedule -- she will do next week what she did last week. This recurrence will not stop her. That is the positive attitude we should all take when we have setbacks--- medical or otherwise. Bad things happen to good people. When you have setback, take a second for self pity, but then roll up your sleeves and continue on with your life. Don't let that setback stop you.

As everyone now knows, Mrs. Edwards is one of (if not the) strongest allies and assets that John Edwards, presidential hopeful, has. Now, many people may questions whether she should be on the hectic and grueling presidential campaign -- and many more may questions whether Mr. Edwards should continue on with his campaign. After all, not only is he a father of two young children, but now he is a caregiver for his wife. Will he be able to manage the hectic schedule of a presidential campaign? How will he manage his new caregiving responsibilities along with his other responsibilities? Should he even try to pursue his campaign?

These are the challenges CareTALK will explore--- because of a setback in which you are suddenly thrust into a caregiver role, what do you do? Do you give up your goals, plans, and ambitions? Or do you maintain those responsibilities and take on the additional responsibilities of a caregiver? Can it be done? If so, how?

The answer is yes, it can be done.

Will it be easy? No. Take the article "The Other Juggle: Taking Care of Mom and Dad" in the Wall Street Journal, for example.

Should it be done? There is no right or wrong answer for that. That is dependent on each person and their situation. However, CareTALK will try to weave our way through the pros and cons to make some sense of this. CareTALK will provide you with the tools to help you --- whichever decision you may make.

One must also remember that children can also be caregivers. Cate Edwards, John's and Elizabeth's oldest daughter,-- though not a child-- will also be thrust into a caregiver's role -- a caregiver for her mother and for her younger siblings. Therefore, Mr. Edwards is not alone… and neither are you.

CareTALK and its support community will be here for you.

47 Million

That is the number of people without health insurance in this country – and it has INCREASED in the past ten years! According to the NY Times/CBS Poll, even those who DO have insurance do not get certain tests because of out-of-pocket expenses.

This lack of health insurance coverage MUST be a priority discussion of ALL CANDIDATES for the 2008 Presidential Elections. They need a clear, detailed plan that can be executed. Many candidates are saying the right things/the right words--- but where is the detailed plan of how to fix the problem?

We ALL need to keep a vigil that this election does not offer a pass for this critical issue -- this time around. Each candidate has a channel on YouTube:

Democratic Candidates

• Joe Biden: http://www.youtube.com/joebiden
• Hillary Clinton: http://www.youtube.com/hillaryclinton
• John Edwards: http://www.youtube.com/johnedwards
• Dennis Kucinich: http://www.youtube.com/denniskucinich
• Barack Obama: http://www.youtube.com/barackobama
• Bill Richardson: http://www.youtube.com/BillRichardson

Republican Candidates

• Rudy Giuliani: http://www.youtube.com/RudyGiuliani
• John McCain: http://www.youtube.com/johnmccain
• Mitt Romney: http://www.youtube.com/mittromney

Keep up to date on the issues each candidate addresses. Make sure these are the REAL issues. It is time for Americans to become THE priority of our governments – federal, state, and local.