Sen. Obama’s Health Care Plan: What About the Uninsured?

Question 1: What are your plans to help the millions of Americans who are not insured or are under-insured to gain access to affordable health care?

Joe Biden and I will guarantee affordable, accessible health care coverage for all Americans. Currently, there are over 45 million Americans lacking health insurance, and millions more are at risk of losing their coverage due to rising costs.

Rising costs are also a burden on employers, particularly small businesses, which are increasingly unable to provide health insurance coverage for their employees and remain competitive.

Nearly two million fewer Americans receive health insurance coverage through their employers now compared to eight years ago, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. It is simply too expensive for individuals and families to buy insurance directly on the open market and impossible for many with pre-existing conditions.

The Obama-Biden plan both builds on and improves our current insurance system, which most Americans continue to rely upon, and leaves Medicare intact for older and disabled Americans.

Under the Obama-Biden plan, Americans will be able to maintain their current coverage, have access to new, affordable options, and see the quality of their health care improve and their costs go down. The Obama-Biden plan provides new, affordable health insurance options by:

• guaranteeing eligibility for all health insurance plans
• creating a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans and businesses purchase private health insurance
• providing new tax credits to families who can’t afford health insurance and to small businesses with a new Small Business Health Tax Credit
• requiring all large employers to contribute towards health coverage for their employees or towards the cost of the public plan
• requiring that all children have health care coverage
• expanding eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP [State Children’s Health Insurance Program] programs
• allowing flexibility for state health reform plans.

Read Sen. Obama’s answers to SpineUniverse’s other questions:

• What about small businesses?
• How are you going to help kids?
• How will investing in technology improve health care?
• What are 3 key points you want voters to know about your health care plan?