McCain's Health-Care Divergence

I like this article on McCain's program. This article by a Wall Street Journal reporter goes into more detail about the differences in McCain's plan and all the other proposals available. McCain's plan focuses on controlling the costs of health care rather than getting more people insured. I agree with McCain's approach more than any one else's on this issue. This article mentioned TORT reform which is a major point to controlling costs. Lawsuits add nothing to the health of the society, but cost a big portion of the health care dollar. Enjoy the article.

Plan Focuses on Rising Costs,
Not on Getting More People Covered
By LAURA MECKLER
October 11, 2007; Page A6

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain will unveil a health-care plan today, but unlike his rivals he will focus on controlling costs, rather than reducing the ranks of the uninsured.

While the debate among the presidential candidates so far has focused on how to cover more people, Mr. McCain's strategy of attacking spiraling costs could provide a compelling argument for voters. The high cost of care affects all voters, the majority of whom have health insurance but may be frustrated with rising premiums, co-payments and other out-of-pocket costs.

The McCain plan, as described by senior advisers, includes some ideas on how to cover some of the 47 million people without health insurance. But his main message when he unveils the plan in Iowa will be that the rising number of people without insurance is a symptom of the larger problem of rising costs.

"I think we in Washington have an absolute requirement to bring health-care costs down," Mr. McCain (R., Ariz.) said this week at the Republican presidential debate in Michigan.

Polls suggest that health care is the No. 2 issue for voters after the war in Iraq. Asked what particular health issue the presidential candidates should address, voters give roughly equal weight to costs and covering the uninsured as their main concerns.

Among Republican voters, however, costs emerge on top. Half of Republicans said they would like to see candidates focus most on reducing health-care costs, compared with 16% who express most interest in covering the uninsured, according to an August tracking poll by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

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