DIAGNOSIS: The leading presidential candidates have big plans for the healthcare system

PRESCRIPTION: Knowing their platforms will prepare you for the coming changes

It's no surprise that voters have identified healthcare as a leading domestic issue for presidential candidates to address in the current campaign. With soaring costs, rising premiums, reduced (or even discontinued) employer coverage and 47 million uninsured Americans, voters have every right to be concerned.

How important is healthcare in the minds of likely voters?

What two issues would you most like to hear the presidential candidates talk about?

The October 2007 Kaiser Tracking Poll found healthcare ranked second behind the Iraq war as a major voter interest. When asked to name the issues that they want to hear the presidential candidates talk about, respondents named Iraq first (44%), followed by healthcare (38%), the economy (18%) and immigration (12%). The rankings held for Democrats, Republicans and independents alike (see graph).

With this in mind – and because healthcare decisions made at the top are certain to impact the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries – let's take a look at how the leading presidential candidates plan to deal with key healthcare issues.

Keep in mind that by the time you read this several early caucuses and primaries have already passed, and some candidates may have dropped out of the race. The material that follows focuses on candidates in both parties who were considered frontrunners at the end of 2007.

OVERVIEW

The presidential candidates vary significantly in the ways in which they plan to address healthcare. Several have posted detailed proposals on their Web sites or suggested that they will do so in the future. Most have outlined positions on specific healthcare issues, and a few have used debates and talk show appearances to attack the positions of other candidates.

To help sort things out, the Kaiser Family Foundation (with the assistance of Health Policy Alternatives Inc.) has posted side-by-side comparisons of the candidates' positions on healthcare. The information is culled from candidates' Web sites, speeches and debate statements, as well as reports in the media.

Kaiser's comparisons highlight the candidates' positions and comments related to healthcare coverage, cost containment, quality of care and healthcare financing. (This information will be routinely updated as the campaign proceeds. You can view the latest information for all current candidates at http://www.health08.org/).

What is "FEHBP"?

The summary information that follows is extracted from a wealth of material appearing on the Kaiser site and focuses only on the top candidates from each party (according to December 2007 polls).

DEMOCRATS

All of the Democratic candidates have a stated general goal that seeks to achieve affordable, high-quality, accountable and universal (or near universal) coverage through a mix of private and public insurance. Beyond that, the positions of the top-three contenders – Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama – vary somewhat.