OperationHealthyVote

Unprecedented Efforts to Mobilize Voters Begin

2004-11-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Link - President Bush and challenger John F. Kerry unleashed the biggest and most aggressive voter-mobilization drives in the history of presidential politics yesterday, tapping hundreds of thousands of volunteers and paid organizers in a final effort to tip the balance in a handful of states where the election will be decided tomorrow.

Hot races spur absentee vote, city clerks say

2004-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Link - Secretary of state's survey puts ballot requests at 18,657

Health Care Coverage and Drug Costs — The Candidates Speak Out

2004-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Link - The editors of the New England Journal of Medicine asked President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry to respond to two questions regarding health care in the United States. The questions and their responses follow.

Randolph raises highest amount

2004-10-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

Link - Supreme Court candidates file contributions

Taylor, Lott get feisty in only 4th District debate

2004-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Link - Democratic U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor says his opponent doesn't understand what it takes to be in Congress, but Republican challenger Mike Lott says Taylor is out of touch with most of the south Mississippi district.

Momentum Builds for U.S. Role in Paying Highest Health Costs

2004-10-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Link - Senator John Kerry is pushing the concept, and so are some Senate Republicans. That is why lawmakers and lobbyists say that regardless of who wins the presidential election, Congress will soon take up the idea of fighting high health insurance costs by shielding employers from the most expensive medical cases.

Congressional hopefuls debate in 2nd District

2004-10-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Link - Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and his Republican challenger sparred over Thompson's dozen years in Washington during a debate televised Saturday.

Health Plans Differ in Scope And Philosophy

2004-10-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Link - Kerry Transfers More Costs to Taxpayer, Bush to Individual

Bush, Kerry Battle Over Health Care

2004-10-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Link - Candidates Stress Contrasts to Voters In Swing States

Real Differences Between the Bush and Kerry Health Plans

2004-10-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Link - The debate over national health policy, one of the most important issues facing our country, is becoming mutilated in this increasingly combative 2004 Presidential campaign.

Bush, Kerry Divided Over Malpractice Reform's Effect on Rising Health Costs

2004-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Link - The likely effect of medical malpractice reform on rising healthcare costs emerged during the last two presidential candidates' debates as yet another policy issue that deeply divides President George Bush and Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry.

Jobs not an issue for Miss. voters

2004-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Link - In Mississippi's gubernatorial elections last year, loss of jobs in the Magnolia State was a crucial issue over which candidates sparred often.

Lott, Taylor agree to live TV debate

2004-10-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Link - Incumbent U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor and challenger state Rep. Mike Lott have agreed to a live, televised debate at 9 a.m., Oct. 26, on WLOX.

Public Opinion Data Note: Health Care In the Swing States and Among Swing Voters

2004-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Link - The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together a short Public Opinion Data Note analyzing recent polling about the importance of health care as an issue in the swing states for the upcoming Nov. 2 elections.

Taylor, challenger differ on voter concerns

2004-10-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Link - Incumbent U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor believes voters are concerned about the skyrocketing national deficit, but his challenger, state Rep. Mike Lott, believes voters are more concerned with their own pocketbooks and taxes.

New voter generation may be key

2004-10-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Link - LeSueur trying to unseat Thompson for second time

Some 40,000 Miss. voters will be asked for ID at polling sites

2004-10-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Link - More than 40,000 Mississippians will have to show a driver's license or other form of identification when they go to the polls Nov. 2.

Bush Cites Report in Criticizing Kerry's Health Care Proposals

2004-10-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Link - In criticizing Senator John Kerry’s health care proposals, President Bush cited “the Lewin report’’ as an authoritative source.

Bush, Kerry Duel Over Health Care Plans

2004-10-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Link - Sen. John Kerry said Wednesday night that President Bush bears responsibility for a misguided war in Iraq, lost jobs at home and mounting millions without health care. Bush tagged his Democratic rival as a lifelong liberal bent on raising taxes and government spending.

Political Ad Spending Breaking Records

2004-10-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Money spent on political ads is breaking records this election year. By the time you'll be casting your vote, about $500 million will be spent to help you decide which candidate to vote for. The 2000 presidential race previously held the record with $290 million spent.

Kerry Returns Bush Volley On Health Care

2004-10-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Link - John F. Kerry must be a tad worried about President Bush's attacks on his health care plan: He's uncorked two counterattack ads in 18 hours.

Updated Materials on Health Care and the 2004 Elections

2004-10-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

s the election season enters its final weeks, policy issues of concern to the public have come to the forefront via debates and campaign speeches. The Kaiser Family Foundation has been issuing informational materials on some of the health policy issues that are of concern to the American public in the last month-adding new materials every week.

Several background issue briefs and presidential candidate comparisons are available here. Recently added materials cover such topics as: prescription drug costs; medical liability reform; HIV/AIDS; race, ethnicity, and health care; and women's health policy. Previously available material covered public opinion on health issues, the uninsured, Medicare coverage and financing, and health care costs. You will also find links to other Foundation resources on the health care and the 2004 elections web page.

Additionally, there are two other Foundation resources to keep in mind as you follow campaigns and health care debates.

* State Health Facts Online continues to provide quick access to state specific information on nearly 400 health, health care, and health policy topics.

* KaiserEDU.org has a new issue module, "Health Care and the 2004 Election: Costs and Coverage," which covers two of the major health care challenges being debated by the presidential candidates -- rising health care costs and covering the uninsured. The module includes a background brief with discussion questions, and links to key health-related data, election-related policy analyses, media analyses, academic literature, presentations, and public opinion data.

Rising Numbers of Uninsured Fuel Candidates' Health Care Debate

2004-10-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Link - Economic and political realities may make action difficult, regardless of who wins

Local, national issues drive up voter registration

2004-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Link - The anticipated turnout of more than a million Mississippians to the polls Nov. 2 has left some circuit clerks buried under mounds of voter-registration forms and the clock ticking to get the names onto the rolls in time.

Web Wrap: HealthCare, Bush and Kerry

2004-10-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Link - In an election year when the war on terror has taken center stage at conventions, small-town campaign stops, and many places in between, the candidates' thoughts on healthcare have often been pulled from the forefront of the national debate. There are, however, several places on the Internet where healthcare is talked and industry issues are detailed. From the presidential candidates' official platforms to organizational outlines of the issues-at-hand, here are some sites worth checking out.

Officials try to head off confusion on limited voter ID provision

2004-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Link - To ID or not to ID? That's the question poll workers will be asking Nov. 2 as Mississippians vote in the general election.

High court hopefuls eye donors

2004-10-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Link - State Supreme Court candidates are taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interest groups and if elected may find themselves ruling on the very issues those groups back.

Where the candidates stand on health care

2004-10-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry are offering distinct plans to help Americans cope with the rising costs of health care. The details of their proposals are complex, relying on a maze of government programs, tax credits and other subsidies.

Where the candidates stand on health care

2004-10-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Where the candidates stand on health care

2004-10-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

What Could Ease Sting of Health Costs

2004-10-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Link - Soaring health-care costs are a big worry whether you're young or old, insured or uninsured, Republican or Democrat.

Funds pile up in court races

2004-10-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

Link - High-court incumbents outpace their opponents' funds by up to 10-to-1

Campaign Money in Mississippi

2004-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Link - Following the money in Mississippi...

Miss. voter turnout could top 1M for 1st time

2004-10-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Link - Mississippi's voter turnout next month could top 1 million for the first time in state history, Secretary of State Eric Clark said.

Televised forum series to outline issues, hopefuls

2004-10-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

Link - Secretary of State Eric Clark and a debate among Mississippi Supreme Court justices will highlight a series of televised programs starting Oct. 9 to help Mississippians brush up on key issues before the Nov. 2 elections.

In Miss., $1.8M for candidates

2004-10-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and his proposals to limit lawsuits prompted Jackson lawyer Robert Germany and his wife, Ginger, to give $4,000 to John Kerry's campaign.

Transcript: First Presidential Debate

2004-10-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry made few major factual errors in last night's debate, though on occasion they stretched the truth or left out inconvenient facts -- or may have confused viewers as they spoke in policy shorthand.

Viewers: Little to change minds

2004-10-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Link - Some Mississippians who watched Thursday's presidential debate said they doubt many minds were changed by the televised sparring match.

Kerry faces uphill struggle in debate, Miss. experts say

2004-09-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Link - In his televised debate tonight with President Bush, Democratic challenger John Kerry needs to come across as a decisive leader who can win the war on terrorism to keep his election hopes alive, Mississippi political experts say.

Mississippi Democrats endorse Bush

2004-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Link - Democrats across Mississippi joined Governor Haley Barbour, Chairman of Mississippi's Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, on Sept. 27 at the State Capitol in Jackson to endorse President George W. Bush.

Morton Mayor, a Democrat, endorses Bush

2004-09-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Link - Mayor Greg Butler said he plans to support President George W. Bush for another term in this fall's general election. Butler's name was among more than 40 public officials, elected as Democrats, who plan to support Bush for re-election.

Campaign contributions

2004-09-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Link - Who is funding a candidate and for how much? You can search by name or zip code to find out.

Bush Policies Hurt Kids, Pediatricians Say

2004-09-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Link - Three dozen eminent pediatricians and social workers attacked the Bush administration on Sept. 29 for policies they said leave too many children without health insurance.

Judicial campaign monitoring begins

2004-09-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Link - The Washington-based Justice at Stake campaign, a partnership of more than 40 national and state groups dedicated to keeping America's courts fair and impartial, has launched its 2004 Supreme Court Election Monitoring Project. The project will contain up-to-the-minute fund raising, advertising and candidate speech data on Supreme Court elections in Mississippi and 19 other states.

Voters Chew Over Dissected Debates

2004-09-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Link - When John Kerry and George W. Bush step off a University of Miami stage at 10:30 tomorrow night, the battle will just be getting underway.

Election Debates Bring Memorable Moments

2004-09-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Link - After all the weighty words are passed back and forth in a presidential debate, it is often a simple gesture or a quick quip or a difference in appearance that remains in the memory.

Words, Actions at Odds on Children's Health Care

2004-09-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Link - U.S. Poised to Take Back $1.1 Billion Despite Bush's Vow

For the Bush-Kerry debate, first, call all the lawyers

2004-09-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

Link - When President Bush and John Kerry face off at the University of Miami Thursday, they'll be operating under a set of rules so restrictive they even dictate where the candidates' families sit - "front row, diagonally across from the candidate directly in his line of sight."

Tight race still doesn't motivate some voters

2004-09-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Link - 51 percent of eligible people in U.S.voted in '00, 48.6 percent did in Miss.

Weighing Kerry's Critique of Bush on Medicare

2004-09-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Link - Ever since the government announced this month that Medicare premiums would rise 17.4 percent next year, the largest annual monthly increase ever, Senator John Kerry has blamed President Bush for increasing what retirees have to pay for their health insurance.

OPINION: Editorials and Columns Debate Candidates' Health Care Plans

2004-09-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

All agree that health care crisis is mounting and merits significant attention

Source(s): David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle (Sept. 10); Los Angeles Daily News (Sept. 12); Detroit Free Press (Sept. 14); The Washington Post (Sept. 16); Glenn Hubbard, Business Week (Sept. 20); Ronald Brownstein, The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 20)

A Bush campaign ad charging that the Kerry health care agenda would amount to a "government-run healthcare plan" costing $1.5 trillion over 10 years is a "fiction" that "cross[es] the line," according to a Washington Post editorial. The cost of Kerry's plan is "open to debate." However, "what's not open to debate is the falsity of the Bush campaign's description of the Kerry plan as a 'hostile government takeover of our nation's health care system.'" In fact, the editorial concludes, "What's striking about Mr. Kerry's approach is the degree to which it builds on the existing system."

In a Business Week commentary, Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School, disagrees. Health savings accounts (HSAs), "and the ownership agenda they represent, are a stark contrast to the vision offered" by Kerry, which "bodes ill for growth, and does little to put the consumer in the driver's seat," Hubbard writes. He maintains that the Bush-endorsed HSAs, passed as part of the recent Medicare reform legislation, give consumers "incentives to shop for low-cost, high-value care." He suggests making HSAs an even better "tool of health policy and the Ownership Society," by allowing all Americans—including those already covered by employers, the self-employed with insurance, and the uninsured—to deduct expenditures on insurance as well as out-of-pocket expenses, as long as they have or purchase at least insurance against catastrophes. This change would "level the playing field" between those with employer-based insurance and those paying out-of-pocket, and would substantially lower overall health care costs, he concludes.

In his Los Angeles Times column, Ronald Brownstein writes that "the relentless rise in healthcare costs may now be America's most pressing domestic problem, at once a threat to the economy, family budgets and the social safety net." With small businesses dropping unaffordable coverage, and large employers forced to share more of the costs with employees, "the U.S. is facing the slow-motion unraveling of the employer-based system." Brownstein cites economist Kenneth Thorpe of Emory University, who projects the number of uninsured will be at least 50 million by 2010 if costs do not moderate. Kerry's response to the crisis is to resist "that tide" by bolstering the employer-insurance system with government support for catastrophic care. Believing in the "principle that society should share risk between the healthy and sick, wealthy and poor," Kerry would "spend heavily to buttress" social insurance. Bush's agenda "encourages further movement away from the group-based system toward one in which individuals increasingly obtain insurance on their own," exerting more control but bearing more risk. "These two men are offering radically divergent alternatives for how Americans should be protected against the inescapable adversities of life," Brownstein concludes.

A Detroit Free Press editorial agrees that "health care factors into many of the nation's domestic problems," and encourages the presidential candidates to devote one debate on health care. The topic cuts across domestic issues, the editorial argues. Health care costs are making employers such as General Motors less competitive, they are contributing to poverty, and they affect workplace production. "The candidates have plenty of reasons to make the health care debate hold an audience's attention for 90 minutes," it concludes.

A San Francisco Chronicle column by David Lazarus finds that despite "clear evidence of a health care system in crisis," neither Bush nor Kerry "has called for meaningful change in how Americans receive medical treatment." He charges that both candidates "favor keeping the current system intact while using taxpayer funds to expand the reach of the insurance industry." Lazarus advocates for a single-payer system, funded by a 7 percent payroll tax for employers and a 2 percent income tax for employees. Such a system "would be far cheaper to administer than the existing health care system."

The symptoms of the health care crisis "have reached the point of being life-threatening," diagnoses the Los Angeles Daily News. "Bold and immediate intervention" is required. Whoever wins in November "must establish a health care panel immediately and start the hard work of reforming the nation's health care," insists the editorial.

Opinion: Kerry Spells Out His Health Care Plan in Wall Street Journal

2004-09-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Promises plan is business- and family-friendly

Source(s): John Kerry, Wall Street Journal (Sept. 15)

In a commentary laying out his economic agenda, Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry writes that "America can do better under an administration that is better for business." Health costs, Kerry writes, have risen more than $3,500 per family on average since January 2001 and are a key part of the economic equation. "Families are being increasingly squeezed by falling incomes and rising costs for everything from health care to college," Kerry writes. "Spiraling health-care and energy costs squeeze businesses too, encouraging them to lay off workers and shift to part-time and temporary workers." He promotes his health plan, which "would increase coverage while cutting costs," to both businesses and individuals. "It builds on and strengthens the current system, giving patients their choice of doctors, and providing new incentives instead of imposing new mandates." He concludes that his plan "will make our businesses more competitive by making our health care more affordable."

Kerry and Bush Spar on Health Care Proposals

2004-09-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

Health care emerges as leading voter concern

Source(s): Janet Hook and Peter Wallsten, The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 14); Ron Hutcheson and James Kuhnhenn, Philadelphia Inquirer (Sept. 14); James G. Lakely, Washington Times (Sept. 14); Alan J. Borsuk, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Sept. 14); Mike Allen, The Washington Post (Sept. 14); William M. Welch, USA Today (Sept. 15); Richard W. Stevenson and Robin Toner, The New York Times (Sept. 17)

"Few issues matter more to voters -- or more profoundly divide President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry -- than the plight of the U.S. healthcare system," reports the Los Angeles Times. John Kerry acknowledged as much in a recent speech in Milwaukee, saying, "Nowhere is the choice more clear than in the area of health care," reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The two candidates "want to take the system in radically different directions." Recent reports about the rising costs of health care and the rising number of uninsured have prompted the candidates to highlight their solutions—and to attack each other's proposals.
Democrats consider health care "one of Mr. Bush's greatest vulnerabilities," reports The New York Times, and Kerry has made it "a central issue" of his domestic agenda. A Time magazine survey found that 48 percent of voters think that Kerry can best solve the nation's health care woes, compared to 42 percent who think Bush is the better choice on health care, according to the Los Angeles Times. Kerry's plan is "more far-reaching and expensive" than Bush's. It would expand the current employer-based insurance system and federal health programs for those lacking coverage. The campaign estimates that his plan would cost about $650 billion over 10 years and cover 27 million uninsured Americans. Bush "wants to rely on market-oriented alternatives to government programs," such as health savings accounts. His plan would cost $145 billion over 10 years and provide coverage for more than 11 million of the uninsured, according to his campaign.

Going on the offensive in "some of his most extensive remarks about health care in months," Bush charged "that the middle class under a President Kerry would be forced to pay higher taxes to fund a government takeover of medicine," reports the Washington Post. He berated Kerry for plans that he said would result in "the nationalization of health care," reports The New York Times. He also cited a study by the conservative American Enterprise Institute, which tallied the bill for Kerry's plan to $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Funding this will require raising taxes on the middle class, Bush insists, according to the Post. Bush's comments about his "common-sense" health care proposals "dovetail" with a new television ad titled "Health care: Practical vs. Big Government," reports the Washington Times.

The Kerry campaign accused Bush of "deliberately misrepresenting" Kerry's plan, reports the Times. The campaign called Bush's characterization "ridiculous – absolutely false and baseless" and is being used to cover up the fact that Bush doesn't have a plan. Kerry's plan "is very pro-business, it is very pro-consumer and it is voluntary," said Sarah Bianchi, policy director for the Kerry campaign. His plan "studiously avoids" similarities to the Clintons' failed 1993 proposal, and relies on "existing agencies and on tax breaks to employers and tax credits to individuals" to expand coverage, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. As for the higher cost suggested by the American Enterprise Institute, the Kerry campaign said it "ignored some features of the plan, double-counted others and used flawed methodology." Kerry's aides say his new proposals would be paid for by "rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy, cutting corporate welfare, eliminating wasteful duplicative government agencies, and instituting budget rules that would restrain spending growth and require new proposals to be paid for," reports the Post. In fact, Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said that Bush is proposing a bigger change in the way the nation provides health coverage than Kerry is.

Kerry said that universal coverage would be a "high priority" of his administration, reports the Journal-Sentinel. "The first thing I'm sending to Congress - day-one - is health care that's affordable and accessible to all Americans," he said. "I'm committed to universal health care coverage because, in America, health care is not a privilege, it's a right."

Though the presidential candidates' health care platforms "provide one of the more significant differences of the campaign ... experts say that neither plan would seriously restrain costs," according to the Washington Post. An analysis of the competing campaign claims by USA Today concluded that "Kerry is proposing no government takeover of health care, as Bush alleges. But he is proposing that the government spend money to provide health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. Bush, by contrast, proposes modest steps that produce modest results ... [His] plan pursues a new conservative philosophy that leaves it to individuals to find health coverage or pay their own medical bills, with tax incentives to help."

Kerry Maintains Domestic Focus, Turning to Social Security and Medicare

2004-09-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Link - Senator John Kerry extended his assault on President Bush's credibility from the war to the home front on Sept. 22, asserting that on Social Security and Medicare, as on Iraq, Mr. Bush had failed to level with the American people.

Kerry Rolls Out Health Care Ad

2004-09-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

Link - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry argues that "over a million more Americans would lose their health insurance coverage" under President Bush in a television ad the Democrat's campaign rolled out on Sept. 21.

Full Text of Bush Speech to the UN General Assembly

2004-09-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Link - From VOA News

Clark Announces Student Poll Worker Program

2004-09-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Secretary of State Eric Clark is encouraging Mississippi high school juniors and seniors to participate in a new program that will allow them to assist in working the polls on Election Day.

“We hope this program will encourage young people to get involved in our political process,” Clark said. “This is a hands-on opportunity to learn how our elections work.”

“The educational opportunities provided through this project cannot be duplicated in the classroom,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Henry Johnson. “It is essential for our children to understand and become involved in public service.”

The program was established by the Legislature at Clark’s request in 2002 in House Bill No. 1445, authored by Rep. Tommy Reynolds and Rep. Omeria Scott. It makes junior and senior high school students eligible to assist at the polling place. To be appointed a student poll worker, a student must be at least 16 years old, a resident of the county, and recommended by a principal or other school official. Students must also participate in all required training with county Election Commissioners and other poll workers.

Clark’s office is working with the State Department of Education, the Mississippi Counselor’s Association and the Public Education Foundation to promote the program. All Mississippi superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors and local election officials are invited to participate, Clark said.

For more information, call the Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-829-6786.

Bush and Kerry: Fiscal Responsibility Out and 'Choice' In

2004-09-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Link - President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry face very different challenges in crafting a health care platform.

Nader Criticizes Effort to Keep Him Off Ballot, Blames Kerry

2004-09-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Link - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader lashed out at Democrat John F. Kerry on Sept. 21, accusing him of supporting a legal campaign to keep the longtime consumer advocate off the November ballot.

Lewin report details differences between Bush, Kerry health plans

2004-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Link - With Election Day fast approaching, the non-partisan Lewin Group on Sept. 21 released a report comparing the cost and impact of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry’s health proposals on the number of uninsured over a decade. According to the analysis, Kerry’s plan would do more to curb the ranks of the uninsured by combining private-sector incentives with significantly expanded federal programs to cover 25.2 million new people, while Bush’s plan would cover 8.2 million new people by broadening private insurance coverage through individual tax credits and deductions. Kerry’s proposal would create greater savings for state governments and employers, but increase federal spending by $1,249 billion compared with $227.5 billion for the president’s proposal. Both plans also call for medical malpractice reform and increased use of health information technology, and divergent approaches to medical error reporting and a patient’s bill of rights.

Bush, Kerry tentatively settle on three debates

2004-09-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

Link - The campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry have tentatively settled on a package of three face-to-face debates that both sides view as a potentially decisive chance to sway huge audiences ahead of the Nov. 2 election, Democrats and Republicans said on Sept. 19.

Facts Are Lost in Bush, Kerry Campaigns

2004-09-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Link - Whether a distortion on jobs, hairsplitting on health care or a half-told story about Iraq, facts are getting lost as President Bush and Democrat John Kerry reach full-throated roar in the campaign.

Bush Says Kerry Is Pushing Nationalized Health Care

2004-09-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Link - Using terms reminiscent of Republican attacks on President Bill Clinton's ill-fated effort to reshape the health care system a decade ago, President Bush attacked Senator John Kerry's health care proposal recently, saying "it's a plan that is massive and it's big, and it puts the government in control of health care."

New Blood at Heart of Kerry Campaign

2004-09-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Link - Some See Changes As a Last Chance

Bush to Focus on Health Care in Minnesota

2004-09-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Link - One of President Bush's favorite campaign lines slaps Democratic challenger John Kerry for choosing a running mate who made millions as a trial lawyer.

Dems Challenge Bush in New Campaign Ad

2004-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Link - The Democratic Party questions President Bush's credibility on Iraq and the economy in a new campaign ad showing the Republican declaring an end to major combat while standing on an aircraft carrier adorned with a "Mission Accomplished" banner.

Business Cash for Bush Campaign, Lawyers for Kerry

2004-09-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Link - With direct private fund-raising for the presidential campaigns ended, President Bush has maintained the traditional Republican edge among business leaders, according to government data.

New Materials on Health Care Issues and the 2004 Elections

2004-09-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Health care issues continue to be important for many Americans and a vital part of the policy debates in Washington and around the country. During an election season, candidates propose and debate their solutions for the pressing policy issues facing their constituents. The 2004 election season is no different and the Kaiser Family Foundation is issuing informational materials on some of the health policy issues that are of concern to the American public.

Over the next few weeks several background issue briefs and presidential candidate comparisons will be made available here by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The first two issue briefs and presidential candidate side-by-side comparisons focus on the policy challenges of health coverage for the uninsured and Medicare coverage and financing. Additionally, you will find links to other Foundation resources on the health care and the 2004 elections web page.

One resource to keep in mind as you follow campaigns and health care debates in specific states is the Foundation's State Health Facts Online. It continues to provide quick access to state specific information on nearly 400 health, health care, and health policy topics.

Edwards gives Oregon voters dose of battle with Bush over health care

2004-09-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Link - The vice presidential candidate derides the administration's record during two appearances

Judge Orders Nader Name Off Fla. Ballot

2004-09-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Link - Ralph Nader is again off Florida's presidential ballot, at least for now.

Kerry Asserts Bush Has Misled Voters

2004-09-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Link - Democrat Says Medicare Costs Were Hidden

Bush Calls Kerry Health Plan Bureaucratic Nightmare

2004-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush derided Democrat John Kerry's plan for reforming health care on Monday as a bureaucratic nightmare and contended it would cost $1.5 trillion.

Florida OK's Nader's Name on Election Ballot

2004-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Link - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's name can appear on Florida ballots for the election, despite a court order to the contrary, Florida's elections chief told officials on Sept. 13 in a move that could help President Bush in the key swing state.

Bush and Kerry Duel on Health Care, Weapons Ban

2004-09-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry dueled over health care and the expired assault weapons ban on Sept. 13, with Bush slamming Kerry for backing a costly "government takeover" of health care that would lead to higher taxes.

Kerry Hires Mike McCurry As Adviser

2004-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Link - Sen. John Kerry on Sept. 13 hired Bill Clinton's former press secretary, Mike McCurry, adding yet another adviser who worked for the two-time Democratic presidential winner.

Kerry Vows to Ease Seniors Health Costs

2004-09-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Link - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry promised a group of senior citizens on Sept. 14 that he would ease the financial pinch caused by the escalating price of doctors, hospitals and medicine as it outpaces annual increases in Social Security benefits.

New estimate doubles cost of Kerry health plan

2004-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's plan to expand healthcare coverage would cost the federal government $1.5 trillion over 10 years, more than twice a previous estimate, according to a study released by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. The study put the 10-year federal cost of President Bush's healthcare proposal at $128.6 billion. Kerry's plan would add 27.3 million currently uninsured Americans to the rolls of insured, while Bush's proposal would expand healthcare coverage by 6.7 million currently uninsured Americans, according to the AEI study. Previously Emory University professor Ken Thorpe had estimated the 10-year cost of Kerry's proposal at $653 billion. The higher cost estimate by AEI reflects a higher estimate of enrollment growth in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program under the Kerry plan, the study's authors said. They also rejected some savings Thorpe attributed to the Kerry proposal. Read a summary of the study and be able to download the full report here.

Bush Focusing on Health Care in Michigan

2004-09-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Link - On health care, President Bush says he stands with the doctors and Americans who are struggling to find affordable medical services. Democrat John Kerry says Bush has stood idle as medical bills have skyrocketed during his presidency.

Medicare Costs Are New Focus for Candidates

2004-09-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Link - Medicare has suddenly emerged as a volatile issue in this year's elections, as Democrats are vowing to roll back a sharp increase in premiums announced this month and the Bush campaign is seeking to blame lawmakers, including Senator John Kerry, for the rise.

Ralphie In Excelsior

2004-09-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

From OpinionJournal.com - Ralph Nader is getting his revenge for the unprecedented effort Democrats are making to kick him off state ballots by challenging his petition signatures. Mr. Nader says the floundering Kerry campaign is "not laying a glove" on the "most vulnerable Republican administration of modern times."

Mr. Nader told the Baltimore Sun yesterday that the consultant-heavy Kerry campaign is not letting the candidate think for himself. "You lose your identity after a while, and that is very easily perceived by people. Wavering, flip-flops -- all that stuff -- is very perceived." He also warned that unless something is done, Mr. Kerry will be "an anchor" that will sink the candidacies of many promising progressive candidates for Congress.

Meanwhile, some good news finally arrived at Nader headquarters yesterday. He won ballot status in New Mexico, a key swing state. And in Oregon, a state judge ordered his name be placed on the ballot saying that the Democratic secretary of state had made inconsistent rulings on which independent candidates should have qualified. But when asked what the best news he's gotten in the campaign lately has been, Mr. Nader said it is the knowledge that the Democratic ticket has made so many mistakes that few people are likely to blame him again for electing George W. Bush.

Nader to Be Absent From Florida Ballot

2004-09-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Link - A Florida court ruled that independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader may not be on the state's Nov. 2 ballot -- at least not yet.

Election Commission OKs Nader for ballot

2004-09-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Reform Party Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader will appear on Mississippi's Nov. 2 ballot. The state Board of Election Commissioners on Sept. 7 rejected a challenge to Nader and his running mate, Peter Camejo, brought by the Mississippi Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party challenged the legitimacy of the Reform Party, saying that the party was no longer in existence and that it had not held a national convention this year to nominate candidates. It also challenged the party's petition on behalf of its candidates, arguing it did not have enough signatures.

Shawn O'Hara, who identified himself as national chairman of the Reform Party said the party held a convention in Dallas and showed the Commission a videotape of delegates endorsing Nader during the event. Nader has met requirements to appear on ballots in 21 states.

Elizabeth Edwards acknowledges ob/gyn crisis

2004-09-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

Link - At VCU, she says doctors and lawyers should police themselves to resolve issue

Kerry Pledges to Lower Health Care Costs

2004-09-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Link - Democrat John Kerry said on Sept. 9 that he would cut health care costs that have soared the past four years during the Bush administration while millions have lost their health insurance. Bush "hasn't even tried" to lower the costs, Kerry said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Kerry Pitching Health Care Solutions

2004-09-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Link - John Kerry is spending two days in a row talking about health care with Midwestern voters, a sign the Democratic candidate thinks he can use rising medical and prescription drug costs to sway undecided voters as much as joblessness and the economy.

Heinz Kerry Bashes Health Care Plan Foes

2004-09-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

Link - Teresa Heinz Kerry says "only an idiot" would fail to support the health care plan proposed by her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Healthy Choice Candidates for Mississippi Supreme Court Justices

2004-09-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

By MSMA Report September, 2004
Sep 8, 2004, 06:24

George Carlson-Northern District, Position 3
Bill Waller- Central District, Position 1
Samac Richardson- Central District Position 2
Mike Randolph- Southern District Position 3

The Mississippi Medical Political Action Committee has produced and is distributing rack cards in support of these conservative candidates. More are available. To get some of these rack cards, just call Susie Pettit at 601-853-6733 or fax your request to 601-853-6746

Kerry Releases Plan That Would Expand Children's Coverage

2004-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Source(s): Kaye Spector, Cleveland Plain Dealer (Sept. 2)

A poverty plan released by Democratic Senator John Kerry's campaign would expand Medicaid eligibility for children, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Extending benefits to children in families earning up to $47,000, or 300 percent of the federal poverty level, would reach "well into what we consider the middle class," said former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who spoke on behalf of the campaign. The 14-part plan also includes proposals for job creation, school reform and job training, but Reich said the Medicaid expansion is "among the plan's most important features." Bush campaign spokesperson Kevin Madden said the proposals "amount to socialization of health care, and a more expanded role of the federal government will be passed on to taxpayers." However, Cathy Levine, executive director of Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio, said, "This is good policy. If you're trying to create a safety net, we've always favored a state Medicaid expansion."

Bush Announces Plan for Uninsured Children

2004-09-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Source(s): The New York Times (Sept. 2); BNA's Health Care Daily Report (Sept. 7)

During his presidential nomination acceptance speech on September 2, President George W. Bush said, "We will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor children who are eligible but not signed up for the government's health insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention or information to stand between these children and the health care they need," according to a New York Times transcript. The Bush administration plans to spend $1 billion to enroll eligible children in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Medicaid, according to BNA's Health Care Daily Report. The effort, called "Cover the Kids," would be a two-year project utilizing federal, state, school and community resources to help enroll more children in public programs. The administration says, "billions in Federal dollars available to the states to insure these children remain unspent because the children haven’t been signed up."

The effort is similar to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Covering Kids & Families program, which helps "states and local communities increase the number of children covered under federal-state health care programs." Sarah Shuptrine, Covering Kids & Families national program director, president and CEO of the Southern Institute on Children and Families, says she "welcomes the Bush administration announcement of efforts to enroll more children in Medicaid and SCHIP," according to the article. She added that in addition to outreach, the "key to enrolling more children … is a simplified enrollment process."

In Acceptance Speech, President Bush Promises to Change Health Care

2004-09-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Bush Endorses health savings accounts; promotes community health centers and CHIP for the uninsured

Source(s): David Stout, The New York Times (Sept. 3); Adam Nagourney and Richard W. Stevenson, The New York Times (Sept. 3); Jonathan Weisman; The Washington Post (Sept. 3); Ronald Brownstein, The Los Angeles Times (Sept. 3)

In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, President George W. Bush "promised major changes in American society's most basic pillars," including health care, reports the Washington Post. The president said "he wants his philosophy of 'compassionate conservatism' to help people improve their lives through better schools, better health insurance and better job training," reports The New York Times. In his call for an "ownership" society, he "made a case for tax incentives to help people save for health insurance costs."

Much of what Bush discussed in his "often eloquent and at times visionary" acceptance speech "were ideas he had been unable to push through Congress in his first term, such as providing tax credits to help the uninsured purchase health insurance," according to the Los Angeles Times. Posing ideas that "are unlikely to stir much controversy," he called for more community health centers to serve the low-income uninsured and "urged expanded efforts" to enroll more eligible children in the Children's Health Insurance Program. He offered "relatively few new specifics to flesh out that 'ownership' agenda."

Who pays? Health policy divides Bush, Kerry camps

2004-09-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

Link - Ask a business owner or a worker about health care and the grumbling quickly starts. Costs are growing, benefits are shrinking, more people are uninsured.

Group lauds parties' support of mental health parity

2004-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

A group of mental health advocates and health care organizations recently lauded the Republican and Democratic parties for supporting "mental health parity" - equal health insurance coverage for mental illnesses - in their party platforms. "We commend the Republicans and Democrats for including in their platforms unequivocal statements of support for the equitable treatment of mental illness," said the nine-member Coalition for Fairness in Mental Illness Coverage, which also noted that both President Bush and presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) have made statements in support of parity legislation. The group, of which the AHA is a member, urged Congress to "make the policy statements of both parties a reality by enacting the Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act." The bi-partisan legislation, which would prevent health plans that provide mental health benefits from imposing treatment limitations or financial requirements such as co-pays that are not imposed on medical or surgical benefits, has 69 Senate cosponsors and 247 House cosponsors but has not yet been taken up by Congress.

Bush Blames 'Junk Lawsuits' for Job Woes

2004-09-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Link - President Bush and rival John Kerry on Sept. 7 offered different ways to boost the sluggish job market, the president calling for legal reforms to help workers and businesses while his Democratic opponent proposed ending tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.

Nader Won't Be on Virginia Ballot

2004-09-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Link - Independent Ralph Nader will not appear on Virginia's presidential ballot, the State Board of Elections said on Sept. 7.

From the Republican National Convention: Bush would push unrealized health care goals

2004-09-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

President Bush's health care agenda will remain focused on reforming the medical liability system and using tax credits if he wins a second term, he revealed during his acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention. His plans for healthcare is a virtual carbon copy of efforts from his first term. Unlike during the 2000 Republican convention, when he promised to create a prescription drug benefit in Medicare, the president made no sweeping healthcare promises last night. Instead, he will continue efforts to expand association health plans, expand community health centers and enroll more children into the State Children's Health Insurance Program. He also will propose tax credits to allow individuals to buy health insurance and will seek to allow Americans to buy insurance across state lines.

President Bush Repeats Call for Liability Reform

2004-09-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, President George W. Bush repeated his call for medical liability reform. Bush said, “As I’ve traveled the country, I met too many good doctors, especially OB/GYNs, who are being forced out of practice because of the high cost of lawsuits. To make health care more affordable and accessible, we must pass medical liability reform now. And in all we do to improve health care in America, we will make sure that health decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.”

Kerry plan puts Medicaid in reach of more children

2004-09-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

Link - Medicaid eligibility for children would be expanded under a poverty plan released by presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign. The proposal would extend health care benefits to children in households with an income of up to $47,000, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich has said, speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, on behalf of the Kerry campaign.

After a Night of G.O.P. Attacks, Edwards Fights Back

2004-09-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Link - At a Philadelphia rally, vice presidential candidate John Edwards has told the attending crowd that he and Sen. John Kerry have better ideas for creating jobs and expanding healthcare than the Bush administration.

Bush Is 'Unfit' to Lead U.S., Kerry Charges

2004-09-07T12:31:00.001-07:00

Link - At a rally in Ohio held shortly after President Bush accepted the Republican nomination for a second term, John Kerry has listed what he called the administration's failures, five million Americans who have lost health coverage, four million who have fallen into poverty, nearly two million who have lost private-sector jobs and soaring costs for health insurance, college tuition and fuel.

Bush Outlines Plan for a 2nd Term and Attacks Kerry's Record

2004-09-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Link - George W. Bush has accepted the Republican nomination to run for a second term as president, outlining proposals that he vowed would create jobs, expand healthcare and broaden educational opportunities, while he battered Sen. John Kerry for what he called a weak and wavering record on national security and the economy.