Obama Talks Health Care

Obama is starting to leak some details of his universal health care plan in response to recent criticism. He was in Iowa yesterday giving a talk specifically on health care. Here are some of the concepts that would or might be included.

• Federal subsidies for uninsured Americans to enroll in the same insurance programs as federal employees.
• Modernization of medial records to electronic systems to save money
• Early detection of chronic illnesses
• Greater emphasis on child wellness programs
• Did not say if his proposal would require a tax increase.

This is a start and I expect a few more details will trickle out in coming weeks. Obama's goal is to ensure all Americans are covered by 2012. It is an admirable goal for sure, but the devil is in the details. Here is a few excerpts from his speech.

"We shouldn't just put more money into a system that isn't efficient," Obama said during a meeting with about 100 people in Mason City.

[snip]

"We can save huge amounts of money and put that money into providing basic health insurance or subsidies to purchase health insurance for those who don't have it," Obama told about 400 supporters and Democratic activists in Fort Dodge. "We can create universal health care in this country."

Obama is also featuring a video from a community meeting on health care in NH. It is a bit buggy for Apple/Firefox users.

Next week expect an overview of Edward's proposal, plus information on the rest of the candidates statements on health care.