The Kerry Line: John Kerry's Big-Government Health Care Plan

George W. Bush ^ | September 13, 2004

[RWR8189]

"John Kerry's $1.5 trillion government-run health care plan won't lower patient costs, but shifts them to taxpayers while taking decision-making power out of the hands of doctors and patients and giving it to government bureaucrats. Considering Kerry's opposition to curbing the medical liability lawsuits that are costing as much as $108 billion each year, it's not surprising Americans don't trust him with their health care."
- Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

John Kerry's Big-Government Health Care Plan

According To The Non-Partisan American Enterprise Institute (AEI), The Kerry Health Care Plan Would Now Cost $1.5 Trillion Over Tens Years. "Over the ten-year period between 2006 and 2015, the Kerry plan would increase federal outlays by about $1.5 trillion. That estimate nets out the savings that could be obtained from several provisions included in the plan." (Joseph Antos, Roland King, Donald Muse, Tom Wildsmith And Judy Xanthopoulos, "Analyzing The Kerry And Bush Health Proposals: Estimates Of Cost And Impact," American Enterprise Institute, 9/13/04)

The Kerry Health Care Plan Will Raise Taxes For All Americans. Sen. Kerry's $1.5 trillion health care plan includes few incentives to control health care costs. The only way they can possibly pay for their plan is through raising taxes – on individuals, small businesses, and families.

The Kerry Health Care Plan Will Cause Employers To Drop Existing Coverage. Sen. Kerry's health plan gives all employers the incentive to drop the quality coverage they currently provide to their employees. The Kerry health care plan creates a new, government-sponsored health insurance plan that employers can place their employees into. Because they realize that the government-run plan is available to their employees, employers will not hesitate to drop coverage and save themselves the administrative hassle of continuing to run their own health care plan.

The Kerry Health Care Plan Won't Help The Problem Of The Uninsured. The Kerry health care plan includes lots of financial incentives to subsidize the costs for those who are already insured. But it does very little to help the uninsured get quality coverage. For every 10 people who sign up for Kerry’s health care plan, three people will lose private insurance from an employer and it could be much worse. (John C. Goodman, Op-Ed, “Kerrycare,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/26/04)

The Kerry Health Care Plan Takes Power Away From Doctors And Patients. Sen. Kerry's health care plan includes several provisions that would drastically expand the role that government plays in everyday health care decisions. From choices about what drugs are covered by health insurance to when doctors can perform MRIs and other medical procedures, the Kerry health care plan gives government power and takes it away from doctors and patients.

The Kerry Health Care Plan Will Lead To Government-Run Health Insurance. John Kerry's health care plan amounts to little more than the same government-run health insurance schemes proposed by Hillary Clinton in the 1990s. The Kerry health plan will ration care and place significant restrictions on the services and medicines that doctors can prescribe. Meanwhile, it will displace Americans with quality coverage and force them to accept a government-run health care plan that is less effective, less efficient, and more restrictive.

Kerry's Record On Medicare Reform

Kerry Missed 36 Of 38 Votes On Medicare Reform And Prescription Drug Benefit, Including Final Passage Of Bill.

Kerry Was One Of Only Two Senators To Miss Final Vote On Conference Report. "The only two senators to miss the final vote on landmark Medicare legislation were Democratic presidential candidates John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, who returned to the campaign trail …" (Sam Hananel, "Kerry, Lieberman Skip Final Medicare Vote To Return To Campaign Trail," The Associated Press, 11/25/03)

Medical Liability Reform

Kerry Opposed Or Voted To Block Medical Liability Reform At Least Ten Times.

Kerry Missed Both 2004 Votes On Medical Liability Reform. The February 2004 vote was a motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the motion to proceed to consideration of the bill that would place caps on damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits against obstetricians and gynecologists. The April 2004 vote was a motion to invoke cloture on a similar bill that would curb awards against emergency and trauma center personnel, as well as ob-gyns.

Medical Liability Reform Could Save Between $60 Billion And $108 Billion In Health Care Costs Annually, Making Health Insurance More Affordable For Millions. "The [medical malpractice] litigation system also imposes large indirect costs on the health care system. Defensive medicine that is caused by unlimited and unpredictable liability awards not only increases patients' risk but it also adds costs. The leading study estimates that limiting unreasonable awards for non-economic damages could reduce health care costs by 5-9% without adversely affecting quality of care. This would save $60-108 billion in health care costs each year. These savings would lower the cost of health insurance and permit an additional 2.4-4.3 million Americans to obtain insurance." ("Confronting The New Health Care Crisis: Improving Health Care Quality And Lowering Costs By Fixing Our Medical Liability System," U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 7/25/02)

[Servant of the 9]

If Kerry likes this plan so much why didn't he introduce it as legislation sometime during his 20 years in the Senate?

Why didn't he introduce any significant legislation during his 20 years in the Senate.

So9