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A Comparison of the Bush and Kerry Health Care Plan
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Sep 16, 2004
A Comparison of the Bush and Kerry Health Care Plan
Both the Bush and the Kerry campaigns have plans to “fix” America’s ailing health care system. Both candidates want to cut costs and insure the uninsured, but their approaches are very different. Bush looks to market-oriented solutions that are consumer-oriented and consumer-directed, like a network of small businesses linked to buy health insurance and health savings accounts. Kerry wants to open up the federal employee health care plan to the uninsured and create a wider safety net for the poor. Additionally, Kerry’s health care plan would pay insurance companies for ¾ of any costs over fifty thousand dollars per patient. He would pay for it by rolling back the Bush tax cut for people earning over two hundred thousand dollars per year. Host Larry Mantle to discuss the plans with Nick Littlefield, former staff director for the US Senate Committee on Health and Education for Senator Ted Kennedy for 10 years, and an advisor to John Kerry on health care policy, and Colin Roskey, a health care lawyer by training, and an unofficial advisor to the Bush-Cheney campaign and a former counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

Both the Bush and the Kerry campaigns have plans to “fix” America’s ailing health care system. Both candidates want to cut costs and insure the uninsured, but their approaches are very different. Bush looks to market-oriented solutions that are consumer-oriented and consumer-directed, like a network of small businesses linked to buy health insurance and health savings accounts. Kerry wants to open up the federal employee health care plan to the uninsured and create a wider safety net for the poor. Additionally, Kerry’s health care plan would pay insurance companies for ¾ of any costs over fifty thousand dollars per patient. He would pay for it by rolling back the Bush tax cut for people earning over two hundred thousand dollars per year. Host Larry Mantle to discuss the plans with Nick Littlefield, former staff director for the US Senate Committee on Health and Education for Senator Ted Kennedy for 10 years, and an advisor to John Kerry on health care policy, and Colin Roskey, a health care lawyer by training, and an unofficial advisor to the Bush-Cheney campaign and a former counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

Both the Bush and the Kerry campaigns have plans to “fix” America’s ailing health care system. Both candidates want to cut costs and insure the uninsured, but their approaches are very different. Bush looks to market-oriented solutions that are consumer-oriented and consumer-directed, like a network of small businesses linked to buy health insurance and health savings accounts. Kerry wants to open up the federal employee health care plan to the uninsured and create a wider safety net for the poor. Additionally, Kerry’s health care plan would pay insurance companies for ¾ of any costs over fifty thousand dollars per patient. He would pay for it by rolling back the Bush tax cut for people earning over two hundred thousand dollars per year. Host Larry Mantle to discuss the plans with Nick Littlefield, former staff director for the US Senate Committee on Health and Education for Senator Ted Kennedy for 10 years, and an advisor to John Kerry on health care policy, and Colin Roskey, a health care lawyer by training, and an unofficial advisor to the Bush-Cheney campaign and a former counsel to the Senate Finance Committee.

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, Morning Edition, AirTalk Friday, The L.A. Report Morning Edition
Senior Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Associate Producer, AirTalk
Associate Producer (On-Call), AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek