| Plan |
Obama Campaign Plan for a Healthy America | |
| Date |
May 2008 | |
| Overall Approach |
Creation of a public health coverage option.
Creation of a National Health Insurance Exchange. | |
| Universal Coverage |
Yes | |
| Guaranteed Coverage |
Yes | |
| Portability |
Yes | |
| Voluntary Employer-Based System |
Yes | |
| New Programs |
Establishes a National Health Insurance Exchange. Establishes a new public insurance program, available to Americans who neither qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP nor have access to insurance through their employers, and to small businesses. | |
| Expansion of Existing Public Programs/Federal Law |
Expands eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs. | |
| Insurance Pool |
Creates a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses purchase private health insurance directly
Exchange insurance available through either a new public plan or private providers
All Exchange plans must be at least as generous as the new public plan and meet the same standards for quality and efficiency. | |
| State Responsibility |
State flexibility provided minimum standards of the national plan are met | |
| Individual Mandate |
Mandates all children have health care coverage | |
| Employer Mandate |
Requires all employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan
Some small employers will be exempt | |
| Private Insurance Mandates |
Requires insurers to pay out a share of their premiums for patient care.
Participating providers required to provide coverage to all applicants | |
| Individual Subsidies |
Income-related federal subsidy can be used to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan. | |
| Individual Vouchers |
Yes | |
| Employer Subsidies |
Refundable 50 percent health tax credit on employee premiums paid by small business employers.
Reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers' premiums | |
| Individual Plan/Provider Choice |
Yes | |
| National Health Board |
No | |
| Tax Changes |
Small Business Healthcare Tax Credit - Refundable 50% health tax credit on employee premiums paid by employers
The Obama-Biden health care plan will provide tax credits to all individuals who need it for their premiums | |
| Premium/Co-Pay/Deductible |
Not addressed | |
| Health Quality Improvement |
Require providers to report preventable medical errors
Develop and disseminate best practices
Align reimbursement with provision of high quality health care.
Establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness
Require hospitals and health plans to collect, analyze and report health care quality for disparity populations and holding them accountable for any differences found | |
| Information Technology / Electronic Medical Records |
Invest $10 billion a year over five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records | |
| Individual Responsibility for Health and Lifestyle |
Yes | |
| Preventive care |
Require coverage of preventive care in all federally supported health plans
Increase funding to expand community based preventive interventions
Expand and reward worksite intervention
Increased funding for school-based health screening programs and clinical services, physical education, and educational programs for students | |
| Transparency |
Hospitals and providers required to publicly report measures of health care costs and quality.
Health plans required to disclose the percentage of premiums that actually goes to paying for patient care as opposed to administrative costs. | |
| Drug Reimportation |
Yes | |
| Medicare Rx Drug Price Negotiation |
Yes | |
| Medical Personnel Education |
Expand funding—including loan repayment, adequate reimbursement, grants for training curricula, and infrastructure support to improve working conditions | |
| Mental Health Parity |
Yes | |
| Other Provisions |
Not addressed | |
| Cost |
$50-65 billion a year | |
| Cost Containment |
Promotes disease management, coordinated and integrated care, improved patient safety, cost and quality transparency and medical malpractice reform
$10 billion investment in health information technology systems
Increase competition through insurer paid premiums to the Exchange, drug reimportation, use of generics, Medicare Rx drug price negotiation, and preventing waste and abuse | |
| Financing |
Promotes disease management, coordinated and integrated care, improved patient safety, cost and quality transparency and medical malpractice reform
$10 billion investment in health information technology systems
Increase competition through insurer paid premiums to the Exchange, drug reimportation, use of generics, Medicare Rx drug price negotiation, and preventing waste and abuse | |
| Source |
¨Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America,¨ Obama'08
¨Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan to Lower Health Care Costs and Ensure Affordable, Accessible Health Coverage For All,¨ Obama Biden
¨Background Questions and Answers on Health Care Plan,¨ Obama'08 | |
