"The crisis of 41 million uninsured Americans, with limited access to health care, and many millions more facing difficulty finding stable, affordable coverage, has pushed health care reform to the top of the campaign debate agenda," said Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund. "The good news is that there are many proposals on the table that take a serious look at this problem and provide workable solutions, and the public has a full year to debate the merits of these plans."
The report by Sara Collins and Karen Davis of The Commonwealth Fund, and Jeanne Lambrew of George Washington University, provides details of proposals by six Democratic candidates and President Bush to address the problem of the uninsured, which along with rapidly rising health care costs and continued economic insecurity, has led to a re-emergence of health care reform on the national political agenda for the first time since 1992.
"A decade's worth of evidence on the consequences of being uninsured plus the growing consensus over solutions suggests that this reform debate begins from a higher platform," said Jeanne Lambrew, associate professor at George Washington University.
The report recommends specific questions the public might ask about candidates' plans:
The report, Health Insurance Coverage Returns to the National Agenda: The Health Insurance Expansion Proposals of the 2004 Presidential Candidates, provides estimates of costs and numbers of uninsured who would be covered.
The comparison reveals:
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation supporting independent research on health and social issues. To read or download publications, visit our website at http://www.cmwf.org .