Here's Part II of my many-part series on Party Platforms '08. This blog concerns the policies of the Democratic Party on Healthcare.
PLATFORM:
Nearly one in six Americans lacks health insurance. That is 50 million people, 9 million of which are children. Although the United States spends more money on healthcare than any other nation in the world, we are only ranked 47th in Life Expectancy and 43rd in child mortality.
Many of the Americans who do not have health insurance simply cannot afford it. Others cannot get health insurance because no private company will take them, due to a pre-existing medical condition or to age. The Democratic Party proposes to fix both of those major issues by establishing a new health care system which will be affordable and will not turn anyone with a chronic condition away.
In order to reduce the incidence of chronic disease, which accounts for the majority of health care spending in the USA, we must improve public health. More money must be spent on wellness programs at businesses and physical education should be required in schools in order to teach healthy lifestyle choices to children and adults alike. Doing so would decrease the incidence of obesity, which leads to other health conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Attention must be called to substance abuse and tobacco use, both of which are harmful.
Obama plans to allow Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. We will begin importing foreign-made medications. Stem cell research will receive more funding and so will research concerning the treatment of serious illnesses such as breast cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's Disease.
MY CRITIQUE:
I appreciate that Obama wants to help the Americans who cannot get insurance due to chronic conditions. Most of those people work and can afford to theoretically purchase health insurance, but no insurance companies want to insure someone with a chronic condition, such as hemophilia.
I'm not sure that physical education will teach children to love exercise, although it is a way to force them to exercise. Personally, as a Senior in high school, I am so glad that I fulfilled my gym requirement halfway through last year and I don't have to take it anymore. It was nothing but a chore to change for a 30 minute exercise period playing a game with teenage boys with excess testosterone and teenage girls who were scared of any moving objects.
Stem cell research deserves more funding, and both candidates are filling to fund it. Awesome.
Overhall of the health care system is long overdue. 1992 was the year to do it. Alongside physical education, I can see a future where farm to school programs become as common place as a microphone in a singer's hands. What do you think?
my documentary...
"some folks say that a hippie won't steal,
but I caught three in my corn field"
--John Hartford