Election 2008 News Blog

Obama Clinches Nomination

2008-06-03T21:33:00.006-04:00

After an exhaustive Democratic primary season, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has inched across the line with enough delegates, despite losing some recent primaries to U.S. Sen.Hillary Clinton, to become the Democratic presidential presumptive nominee.

It is history in the making. For the first time an African-American will represent the Democrat party for the highest office in the land.

Sen. Clinton, in complimenting Obama on his well-fought race, said in her Tuesday night speech, "I will make no decisions tonight," refusing to concede her quest for the nomination. Multiple media sources are now saying Clinton may be holding out for the vice-presidential slot.

But Wednesday starts a new day for Obama. Even though he has been positioning his speeches recently against McCain's policies, he must now do it in earnest and in the open. As for McCain, he can now take the gloves off and run directly against Obama, not against an undefined candidate.

Nowhere is the difference between the two candidates more evident than their health care platforms. Sen. McCain is pledging a plan devised to cut costs, and to put many health care choices and decisions into individuals' hands.

Sen. Obama has pledged a platform that mandates health insurance for all children, and plans to offers options to insure all Americans, with government backing if necessary, for what he claims will be universal health care.

Each candidate, no doubt, will say they plan to eventually insure all Americans. Their paths to get there will likely take far different routes.

WebMD's election special, "Health Matters in the 2008 Election," will continue to cover the election until the last vote is cast. Soon, we'll have a new section titled "Reality Check." It will ask questions of non-partisan experts about each candidate's health plans, and how well they align with economic and political reality.

But any way you look at it, it's a historical moment in American politics.

Stay with WebMD for extensive coverage of one of the the most important topics in this election, health care.

We'll keep you posted.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Bob Barr Announces Bid for President

2008-05-12T17:08:00.002-04:00

Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr, who represented Georgia from 1995 to 2003, announced Monday that he will seek the Libertarian Party nomination for president. The party will hold its national convention May 22.

Barr, who was a key player in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton, has distanced himself from the Republican Party in recent years, saying they are too "big government," and that decisions such as the legalization of drugs should be left up to the states.

"Of course, many of the positions that I took in the Congress and that I take now are based on the principle of federalism, which is certainly a libertarian position. It used to be a position reflective of the Republican Party but obviously is not longer a part of the Republican platform," Barr told the Village Voice in an interview on May 9. "With regard to drug usage similarly, these are issues in my view that ought to be left up to the states, based on the principles of federalism."

Barr hasn't put forward a detailed health care plan yet, but has said he attributes spiraling costs to government regulation and bureaucracy and that the current health reform proposals from both parties involve too much government interaction. He says that the only way to solve this problem is by placing decision-making back into the hands of physicians.

He said during a press conference Monday that voters "want a choice" and that the govenrnment has "run amok fiscally."

We'll post more information about Barr's plans for health care as we get them. If you need more information on the other candidates, check out our candidate comparison chart.

Rebecca Noelle Bates
Guest Blogger, WebMD

One CEO's View: Why McCain's Health Plan Is Better

2008-05-02T17:06:00.004-04:00

"John McCain does not believe that you fix health care by replacing one inefficient, irrational, and costly system with another."

Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina is the chairwoman of "Victory 2008" for the Republican National Committee and a campaign advisor for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. She was CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005. In light of McCain's speeches this week devoted to health care, WebMD's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, spoke to Fiorina about McCain's plan and why she thinks it's the way to go.

What do you think are the biggest strengths of the health care plan Sen. McCain has laid out?

Fiorina: First, it does provide for health care and insurance for everyone, including the chronically uninsured. But it takes a distinctly different approach from either Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton. John McCain does not believe that you fix health care by replacing one inefficient, irrational, and costly system with another. That other inefficient, irrational, and costly system would be a big government bureaucracy, which is what Sens. Obama and Clinton are proposing. Instead, what he proposes is to put power, choice, money, control in the hands of patients and families. And he would do that through some very specific actions. It starts with saying people have a choice. They can continue to receive health care through their employer if they have good health insurance provided by their employer, or they can choose to get a $5,000 tax credit for families, $2,500 for individuals, and build up a portable health insurance plan. They can carry it wherever they go. They can also buy insurance anywhere in the United States and they can buy it from anyone.

Today, you know, we have 50 separate markets for health insurance. And under John McCain's plan you could buy insurance across state lines, you could choose any health provider you wanted. And that ability to choose -- the control that the patient and the family have to choose any doctor or choose any plan -- creates competition. And that, of course, drives down costs. He also would make the system much more transparent, requiring health care providers to put their prices, their results, customer comments, up on the Internet for everyone to see. You know there at WebMD that this technology exists, but not enough health care providers are using them, taking advantage of them, or required to use them.

One of the things this plan does is shift the emphasis from employer-sponsored coverage to individual coverage, by shifting around the tax structure. With over 70% of the American public getting their insurance through their employer now, people may well be worried about what is really a tectonic shift in the way Americans get their health care.

Fiorina: First, I would say that employers will continue in many cases to continue providing health plans to employees. It's a real benefit. I mean, I know as a former CEO, our health plan was an attractive benefit for employees. It's one of the reasons we could attract people to come to the company and to stay with the company. So I think there are reasons why employers will want to continue providing it. And I think there are some cases where employees will continue to want to get their insurance from their employer. But I would also say that the tectonic shift you're describing is already happening. That's because health care costs are out of control, and employers, more and more, particularly small businesses, or companies that are not as giant as Hewlett-Packard, for instance, are finding it difficult to keep up. So I think what this plan does is recognize that fewer and fewer employers are going to be able to do this for employees. So let's get ahead of that curve and make sure that people, whoever they work for, have the foundation in place that that shift happens well and we don't leave a lot of people behind.

On to the tax credit, $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families. The average cost of coverage now for a family of four is $12,100 per year. For $5,000, realistically, what are people going to be able to buy? It seems, the answer, at least at this point, could be, not much.

Fiorina: If all that happened is people got a tax credit, I would say you're right. But in addition to the credit, John McCain is proposing a number of other important "tectonic shifts," to use your term. One important one is that people can buy health insurance from anywhere. The market today is fragmented, and it's not terribly competitive. If you and your family can shop for health insurance anywhere in the USA, it will drive down costs. Point two, John McCain believes we must -- and it will take time to do it -- but we must start to move health care providers and insurers away from a pricing system that's based on tests and procedures, and toward one based on treatment and outcome. In other words, if you have a diabetic, instead of paying for all the tests and procedures, focus on whether the diabetic is better off after a year or not. That's treatment and outcome instead of tests and procedures. And begin to shift the payments and incentive structures. All of this takes time and won't happen overnight. But unless we're willing to make the move from tests and procedures to treatment and outcomes; from basically an oligopoly structured market to true open competition; and a transparent system where consumers can see, 'what is the price?', 'what am I getting for my money?' ... unless we do those things, we will never get costs down.

You talk about being able to shop anywhere in the country as a way to bring down insurance costs. You're referring, of course, to association health plans, or AHPs. One of the advantages of having those 50 separate state markets you talk about is the consumer protections built into the law in most every state. Guaranteed breast cancer screening, guaranteed maternity stays. There's a large menu of them depending on which state you live in. Do you think that consumers, voters, will be happy when they find out that shopping across state lines means giving up a lot of the consumer protections they now have?

Fiorina: I think they clearly will have to understand that. But I also think that with transparency will come a homogenization of those protections. Part of the reason that variation exists in many cases is because people don't know it exists. And, of course, you have to have consumers making informed choices. That's why transparency is so important. But let's just say you're a young, single man of 30 years old; the most important thing to you at that time in your life may not be breast cancer screening. You may well be willing to make that tradeoff, but you can't make it if you don't understand it.

One of the things Sen. McCain acknowledged in rolling out his plan is that a lot of people would be entering an imperfect market. What I took from that was that costs are not going to come down overnight, and there may be some pain early on. Realistically, if these tax credits were in place and the incentives were to change, what would be the time lag between people getting their money and prices coming down, to a range where they could buy something with it?

Fiorina: Today, prices are going up. The inflation in health care is roughly 10% a year. In some plans, the costs are going up 15% a year. So let's start with the premise that we have a broken system right now. It's not as if we have one that works real well and we're talking about the pain of getting from a good system to a better one. It is just lousy today. Point two, I'm not an expert on this, but I would say realistically it would take a couple of years. But I do think that a more immediate impact of this would be to slow the increase in costs, and I think that's a big deal.

I wouldn't paint a rosy picture of the current system, but the rate of increase in cost has already been dropping, for the last few years.

Fiorina: Maybe, but tell that to an employer. Or to an American family. Or tell that to a company like GM or Ford that said, 'We can't handle this any more' and went and put all their resources into a different kind of financial structure.

Let me try a political question on you. Health care has never been, traditionally, Republicans' strong suit. And Democrats traditionally spend a lot more time talking about their health care plans than Republicans do. In a campaign environment, talking about the economy and the war, can Sen. McCain compete on health care in the general election? Do you think he should try? Do you think he will try?

Fiorina: First of all, he absolutely must, and he will. He must and he will. Because this election is about the issues that matter to the American people. And John McCain will not shy away from those issues, that's not who he is. John McCain is a leader, who, in my terms, runs to a problem, he doesn't run away from it. Health care is a problem. It's a problem for the American people, so he has to talk about it, he wants to talk about it, he will talk about it. Secondly, I think that Democrats frequently highlight their health care proposals because they always come back to 'the government is the answer' at a time when the American people have lost faith and trust in government, at a time when government is demonstrably inefficient, ineffective, and in some cases corrupt. I think John McCain can make the case very effectively that government is not the answer here. Yes, government has a role, but you don't replace one big, irrational, costly system with another.

There appears to be a group of people, maybe not many, whose health plans are valued around $14,000 or $14,500, who are likely to face higher taxes under this plan. It is probably a small group of people, but won't the other side just zero in on this 6%, or 7%, or 8% of people and kind of hammer away at it?

Fiorina: They may, absolutely. But one of the things we will do, and what the American people should do, is go to the Democrats and say, 'Oh, by the way, how are you going to pay for your plan? Why is it that you think your plan will actually provide better health care? Why is it that you think a government monopoly will provide less expensive health care?' All the evidence in the world suggests when you have an inefficient, ineffective, centralized bureaucracy with a lack of transparency, costs go up, not down, and quality goes down, not up.

I want to thank you for joining me.

Fiorina: Well, thanks!

For more about the candidates and their stands on health care, check out WebMD's election special.

Doctors Support National Health Care

2008-03-31T17:42:00.003-04:00

Support for national health care seems to be growing, at least among doctors.

A study conducted by Indiana University shows that a majority of U.S. physicians support a national health care system. That number has grown 10% since 2002, when the university initially conducted the study.

The survey, released Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, seeks to follow up on attitudes of American physicians toward universal health care. Approximately 5,000 doctors were asked two questions: Whether or not they supported government legislation to establish national health insurance; and if they supported achieving coverage through more incremental reform.

Among the participants, 59% supported legislation, and 55% supported achieving universal health care through incremental care. Although 14% of doctors rejected adopting a national health care system, they supported incremental changes to the current system.

By specialty, the greatest support for national health insurance was found among psychiatrists, followed by doctors in pediatric subspecialties. Support was lowest among radiologists.

"As doctors, we find that our patients suffer because of increasing deductibles, copayments, and restrictions on patient care," said Ronald T. Ackermann, MD, MPH, assistant professor medicine and associate director of the Indiana University School of Medicine's Center for Health Policy and Professional Research, in a press release. "More and more, physicians are turning to national health insurance as a solution to this problem."

The topic of universal health care and whether it should be mandated for all has been a controversial topic in the campaign. If you're interested in knowing the differences among the candidates, check out our comparison chart. If you'd like more detail, that's available in the candidates' platforms.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Reported by Rebecca Noelle Bates.

GOP, Dems Divided on Health Care

2008-03-20T15:24:00.004-04:00

It comes as no surprise that a political divide exists on the quality of our health care system.

Most Republicans think the United States has the best health care system in the world. Democrats aren't quite as enthusiastic.

The findings come from a poll released Thursday by the Harvard School of Public Health and Harris Interactive.

The survey, of 1,026 people conducted March 5-8, found that 69% of Republicans believe our health system is the best, while 40% of independents and 32% of Democrats agree.

The poll, part of the school's Debating Health: Election 2008 series, focused on how Americans see the U.S. health care system in relation to those of other countries.

An earlier survey looked at Americans perceptions of socialized medicine.

To those who consider the U.S. the best, the World Health Organization (WHO) begs to differ. It ranked our nation 37th among nearly 200 countries worldwide; France ranked first.

So what might this mean for the presidential race?

Researchers found that Democrats were most likely to support a candidate who would put in place a system similar to that of France, the United Kingdom, or Canada. Independents were less enthusiastic, and Republicans were least likely to support a candidate who would borrow ideas from abroad.

If you're interested in reading more about how the remaining presidential candidates would handle health care, check out our comparison chart. We also have detailed plans for each candidate.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Jarret Cassaniti contributed to this entry.

Debating Science?

2008-03-13T16:40:00.002-04:00

A number of prestigious scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Council on Competitiveness, are asking the presidential candidates to participate in a science debate.

Their call is supported by members of Congress, Nobel Laureates, university presidents, business leaders, and labor leaders, among others. Combined, they claim to represent over 125 million American voters.

Topics considered fair game by the organizers include climate change, the health care crisis, pandemic diseases, stem cells, and the space program.

They have a location: The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

They have a date: April 18.

Now all they need are some candidates.

The debate organizers said they have invited Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. The invitation letter, sent to candidates before the March 4th primaries, says the debate will be held "even if only one candidate participates."

So far no one has accepted.

If and when they do, we'll let you know.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Jarret Cassaniti contributed to this entry.

John McCain's Health Records

2008-03-12T15:54:00.002-04:00

Should presidential candidates be required to release their health records for public inspection?

The question has come up with Sen. John McCain, in part because in 2000 he was diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, and had surgery to remove it. At 71, he is also the oldest candidate.

The presumptive Republican nominee had a physical Monday and told the media that he's fine and that there's no evidence that his melanoma has returned. He promised to release his full medical report in April. (When he ran for president the first time, he released 1,500 pages of medical and psychiatric records, according to the New York Times.)

The health of presidents has often been a secretive subject in the past. As WebMD reported, while cover-ups of presidential conditions were once common, today we can find out details about President Bush's latest physical, such as his percentage of body fat, cholesterol levels, and what he takes to help with seasonal allergies.

Political expert Larry Sabato, who was quoted in our article, argues that all nominees should be required to release their records so we know if they are healthy enough to withstand the rigors of the job. Do you agree? Let us know what you think.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Jarret Cassaniti contributed research for this entry.

Ron Paul: "Victory not available"

2008-03-10T10:20:00.003-04:00

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul effectively has ended his bid for the White House, saying his campaign will "wind down" and that "victory in the conventional political sense is not available in the presidential race."

Paul made the comments in a 7-minute video on his campaign web site last week.

The Texas congressman and doctor talked in the video about the next phase of planning for the "campaign for liberty."

While Paul's message of limited government appealed to some voters and helped him raise millions, it never caught on with enough voters to make a dent in the race. He didn't win a single primary and had 21 delegates to date, according to cnn.com. His two best finishes were second place in the Montana and Nevada caucuses.

Paul's message extended to his plan for health care, as well. He proposed that responsibility for health care be returned to the individual and that people could receive tax credits for expenses. He is pro-life but believes decisions on abortion should be made by the states, not the federal government.

Paul's platform will continue to be available on WebMD under the "Who's Out" section.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

McCain Clinches, Huckabee Bows Out

2008-03-04T21:43:00.016-05:00

Sen. John McCain made his comeback complete.

And Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, McCain's only remaining serious contender, made a good run of it. He did make it interesting, but in the end, he just couldn't make it.

Huckabee dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night.

He was always a long shot, but tonight his luck, and pluck, finally ran out, even though he still had strong evangelical support.

Huckabee was a strong advocate of preventive health care (he personally lost over 100 pounds) and proposed an overhaul of the health care system with input from the private sector, health care providers, and Congress.

Meanwhile, McCain clinched the GOP nomination by winning in Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Not a surprise now, but it certainly would have been a surprise prediction last summer when his campaign was prematurely written off.

So now the GOP health message is the McCain health message. He believes that controlling costs through market-based solutions is key to making health care more affordable. McCain sets down three primary goals: paying only for quality care, offering diverse insurance choices responsive to individual needs, and restoring a sense of personal responsibility.

Meanwhile, if you want to know more about Huckabee, you can still find out about him in our "Who's Dropped Out" section of our election special, "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for the narrowing number of remaining candidates still in the race, Republican, Democrat, and Independent, you can see how they face off on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can always get the latest news from around the country on the remaining races on our election news page.

We'll keep you posted.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

McCain Joins Autism Debate

2008-03-04T12:22:00.004-05:00

Republican presidential front-runner John McCain is making news for a statement he made over the weekend about vaccines and autism.

According to ABC reporter Jake Tapper, McCain said during a town hall meeting in Texas on Friday that "there's strong evidence" that thimerosal in vaccines causes autism.

His comment was made in response to a question from a mom whose son has autism.

"It's indisputable that autism is on the rise among children," McCain said. "The question is, What's causing it? And we go back and forth, and there's strong evidence that indicates that it's got to do with a preservative in vaccines."

Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has not been used in infant vaccines since 2001 (except for some flu vaccines).

Organizations such as the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics have said there is no link between the two.

"No scientific data link thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines with any pediatric neurologic disorder, including autism," the AAP states on its web site.

Their position is supported by a growing body of evidence. Here are some examples:

In 2004, an expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review the data on vaccines and autism said there was no link. In another, published earlier this year, California researchers found that autism rates were rising even though thimerosal was no longer used in vaccines.

"We are reassured that we found no link between routine childhood vaccination and increases in childhood autism in the data," California DPH Medical Officer Robert Schechter, MD, told WebMD in January.

A similar study was published in 2007 in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. While researchers in that study said they hoped their findings would calm the fears of parents, some parents' groups continue to question the findings.

This emotional and heated convtroversy is not likely to go away any time soon, and since this was originally written, a federal court made a ruling that vaccines helped cause autism-like symptoms in a 9-year-old girl with a rare mitochondrial disorder.

WebMD will continue to provide the latest scientific findings as they are made public. We have information on autism on the site, and a message board for those who wish to weigh in on the debate.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

True or False?

2008-02-27T16:11:00.002-05:00

There've been a lot of charges and counter changes flying between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on health care. His plan would allegedly leave out 15 million people; hers is more expensive. He put out a misleading flyer; she's misrepresenting his plan.

The issues came up again in Tuesday's debate between the two in Cleveland, Ohio. If you're feeling confused about them and want to try and sort out fact from fiction, here are a few places you can start.

The St. Petersburg Times web site has a feature called PolitiFact that dissects statements made by the candidates, including health care. Another site, factcheck.org, examined a flyer put out by Obama that criticized Clinton's health care plan.

And if you're interested in mandates, you can read our Q&A on the subject, along with a detailed look at the candidate's plans.

The good news for voters is that health care issues have been getting serious attention in the debates. That's definitely a step in the right direction.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Jarret Cassaniti contributed to this entry.

Nader Running for President

2008-02-24T15:13:00.007-05:00

In an election year of unexpected twists, here's another one: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader says he's launching another run for the White House as a third-party, independent candidate.

Nader made his announcement Sunday morning to Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press." Nader said U.S. citizens are "feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized, disrespected" and someone needs to take a stand against "corporate-friendly" government policies agreed to by both Republicans and Democrats.

As for his stand on health care, he says, in a "civics test" on his web site Votenader.org, that he "supports a single payer, Canadian style, free choice, Medicare for all health care system."

In another part of his site that compares his stances to Democrats and Republicans, he says adopting a single payer national health insurance system is "on the table."

Nader told Russert that "all the candidates -- McCain, Obama and Clinton -- are against single payer health insurance, full Medicare for all. I'm for it."

First, though, he has to raise enough signatures (and a little more money no doubt) to get on ballots. But as in 2000 and 2004, when he has also ran, he says he's steadfast in his attempt, despite the odds against him.

The message is what matters, Nader told Russert: "Dissent is the mother of ascent. And in that context, I have decided to run for president."

We will be updating our WebMD election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election" and adding Nader to our candidate comparison chart, even though details are slim on his proposals at this point.

For clear and up-to-date coverage of the health issues in this election, stay with WebMD. We'll keep you posted.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WeMD

Mandate QA

2008-02-20T15:09:00.003-05:00

While Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton share similar platforms on health care, they have one key difference: Clinton wants to mandate that everyone have health insurance, Obama does not. (He would mandate it for children, but not for adults.)

The topic has come up frequently in the Democratic debates, and did so again again when the pair faced off Thursday in Texas.

So what exactly is a mandate, and why has it become such a point of contention between the two?

In a recent webcast, the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation brought together views from across the political spectrum to discuss the issue. This "Ask the Experts" broadcast included analysis from the Cato Institute, the New America Foundation, and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The answers below are compiled from that webcast, unless otherwise noted.

What is an individual mandate?
An individual mandate requires everyone have a health insurance plan that meets minimum standards set at the state or federal level. The idea is to make sure all citizens, regardless of financial or employment status, be insured.

What are the pros for having an individual mandate?
Providing health care for everyone is a common social and moral value, and individual mandates are one strategy that aims to do so. Mandates also force people who are uninsured and can afford insurance to buy it, eliminating the financial burden they pass on to those with insurance.

They also provide an alternative to forcing employers to provide insurance and stop short of adopting a single-payer, government-run health care system, both of which face significant political hurdles.

What are the cons?
Individual mandates take away the personal freedom to decide how to spend your money. To be effective, a mandate needs to be enforced, possibly with mechanisms that would be difficult to put into practice and which might penalize those who are already socially or financially burdened.

How would a mandate be paid for?
Individual mandates would be paid for directly by individuals and priced on a sliding scale as a percentage of their income. For those who cannot afford to pay, subsidies would be provided at taxpayer expense.

How would it be enforced?
A New York Times article speculated that people might be fined or have deductions taken from their paychecks. In Massachusetts, residents will have to report whether they have insurance on their state income tax forms and can be penalized if they don't. The maximum penalty now is $219, but that may rise to $912.

How have they worked in other places?
In Massachusetts, the only state to have used individual mandates in health reform, the jury is still out. While it boosted enrollment of the uninsured and the underinsured (those with insurance not meeting some minimum standards) to 300,000, the New York Times says this number amounts to only half the uninsured statewide.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was governor while the Massachusetts reform was passed, was not proposing a similar plan for the nation.

California is also debating whether to adopt individual mandates.

Why have individual mandates become a point of contention between Clinton and Obama?
In their debate in California on Jan. 31, both candidates argued over the use of individual mandates as a tool to achieve their health care goals.

"I believe absolutely passionately that we must have universal health care," Clinton said.

She said that people who don't have health insurance but can afford it should pay their fair share: "And it's also important to recognize that right now, there are people who could afford health care, and they are not all young, they're people who just don't feel they have to accept that responsibility."

She also proposes reforming the health care industry so that no one is denied affordable health care based on an ongoing problem, and funding mandates in part by repealing the Bush tax cuts on those earning over $250,000.

Obama has said that the uninsured would be motivated to buy a plan when costs are reduced: "My belief is that if we make it affordable, if we provide subsidies to those who can't afford it, they will buy it."

He also believes that individual mandates will not work without an enforcement mechanism, and that any mechanism is likely to punish those who need help: "And I think that it is important for us to recognize that if, in fact, you are going to mandate the purchase of insurance and it's not affordable, then there's going to have to be some enforcement mechanism that the government uses. And they may charge people who already don't have health care fines, or have to take it out of their paychecks. And that, I don't think, is helping those without health insurance.”

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Reported by Jarret Cassaniti.

Health Care Call to Action

2008-02-13T17:11:00.003-05:00

How well do you know the presidential candidates' health care plans? If you're like most people, you probably know at least the basics: they want universal coverage or they don't. They favor tax breaks or government support.

Today, a group called the Aspen Institute Health Stewardship Project, co-chaired by former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, said they want to help us evaluate some of those plans in even greater detail. The group, during a press conference today, offered what they called "core principles" to guide health care reform.

One of the principles, for instance, is that while we must have accessible and affordable health care for everyone because it is "socially just," prevention must also be key. Another is that people need to take charge of their own health.

Leaders of the project, part of the nonpartisan Aspen Institute, said they will send their principles and detailed questionnaires to the presidential candidates to better evaluate their plans, and will publish their results on the site.

If it sounds pretty wonky, that's because it is. The fine print of health care reform surely makes most people's eyes glaze over. But, as Whitman pointed out during the press conference, the next president will have to deal with this issue. Since it's something that touches us all, we need to inform ourselves and understand their plans as best we can.

That is, of course, one of the goals of WebMD's election coverage. So take the time to look through our coverage to better understand what the candidates are proposing. And once the Aspen Institute has published the candidates' answers, we'll let you know about that, too.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Jarret Cassaniti contributed to this report.

Staying Healthy on the Campaign Trail

2008-02-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

She washes her hands and drinks lots of water.

He works out, religiously.

While the approaches differ, both are part of a good strategy for good health.

"They" are Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who answered questions during an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night about how they stay healthy on the campaign trail.

And who doesn't want to know their secrets? We see them everyday, looking good, sounding good (except for bouts of hoarseness here or there), and having what seems like unlimited energy.

But, as is true with most things related to health, there were no magic bullets.

Clinton talked about washing her hands all the time, drinking "tons of water" and eating hot peppers. "I for some reason started doing that in 1992, and I swear by it -- I think it keeps my metabolism revved up and I think it helps my immune system," Clinton told Katie Couric. (Some studies have shown that red peppers can boost your metabolism slightly, but the effects are short-lived.)

She also lamented finding time to work out.

Obama told Steve Kroft that he was "religious about getting my exercise, so I've been working out every morning and that helps." He said he had only had two colds and that he plays basketball on election day.

Their comments came during a larger interview about who would be the better candidate to face Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the general election.

And if you want to know more their health habits, along with those of the other remaining candidates, you can read more about them on our Candid Candidates page. It's part of our overall package on the candidates and their health care platforms.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Patrick Adams contributed to this entry.

Romney Suspends Campaign

2008-02-07T12:37:00.000-05:00

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has decided to suspend his campaign for president, essentially giving Sen. John McCain a clear path to the nomination.

He made the announcement Thursday while speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

Super Tuesday was obviously the knockout blow to Romney's campaign, which never got off the ground the way he had planned. A big part of that was the surprising rise of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who most likely drained votes from Romney.

Romney -- although he disagreed with McCain on many issues -- said he was concerned that staying in the race would make it easier for senators Clinton or Obama to win. "In this time of war I feel I now have to stand aside."

By "suspending" his campaign, Romney keeps his delegates until the Republican convention.

Although he engineered a mandated health insurance program in Massachusetts, Romney said such a system wouldn't work on a national basis and his health platform planned to provide access to health insurance for all Americans through market reforms rather than new government programs or new taxes.

If you want to know more about Romney, you can still find out about him in our "Who's Dropped Out" section of our election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for the dwindling number of remaining candidates still in the fight, both Republican and Democrat, you can see how they face off on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart .

And you can always get the latest news from around the country on the remaining primaries and caucuses on our election news page.

A Healthy Election

2008-02-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Super Tuesday was no doubt less than super for the health of some candidates' campaigns.

But with huge turnouts at the polls, democracy is alive and kicking. A presidential race that many think keeps ending with each coming primary, keeps going. The driving force changes from person to person and candidate to candidate, but health is still strongly in the mix.

The economy has been driving people to the polls for both parties, but for Democrats, health care seems to be a bigger component of that equation, and of those people, more of them voted for Sen. Hillary Clinton than Sen. Barack Obama, according to Tuesday's exit polls.

But here's something to remember: As much as the economy drives people to the polls, the reality is that the president, any president, has marginal impact on the economy at large. They get blamed for it when it's bad, or take credit for it when it's good, but they often can't really do a lot to control it from the oval office.

But health care, now that's a bellwether issue. That's not to say that the next president will be able to change the health care system to suit everyone. But where a candidate stands on health care can tell you a lot about that candidate's values, what they find important, and yes, how they think about economics and where they place resources, remembering that economics is a social science. It's all about the people.

Of course, you can find out where the candidates stand on health care in this election, how they compare, and how they differ, in our special, "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

More and more, it's starting to seem that who you vote for may be one of the most important health care decisions you make this year.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Speaking of Health: A Q&A With Michelle Obama

2008-02-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

WebMD asked the spouses of the leading candidates to answer some questions about personal health. Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, was the first to respond. Here are her answers.

Your father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was a young man. What impact did that have on you?
My father taught me so much about work ethic. He was a blue collar city worker -- worked his whole adult life at the water filtration plant on the south side of Chicago. He got up - went to work everyday - never complained - was never late. I knew he must have been frustrated with the physical restraints he had to contend with, as I never knew my father to walk without the assistance of a cane. But he also provided for our family - he did not go to college, but he was able to put two kids through Princeton on a single city worker salary - which is almost impossible today - and leave my mother a pension that now supports her.

How do you manage to work exercise into your busy schedule?
I make it a point to get in a good work out when we're home for a day or two between campaign trips. It's an incredible release and a priority for me.

Is it possible to eat healthy while you are campaigning? If so, how do you so it?
You know, it's tough. Really tough, when you spend a lot of time driving between stops and want to focus on meeting with voters and not sitting down to eat a healthy meal. But I make sure the girls eat right all the time, and I eat healthily when I'm home, so it's ok for a treat when we're working hard on the road.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure food?
French fries. Always.

With all the intense pressure and scrutiny you face during a campaign, not to mention the exhausting pace, how do you and Sen. Obama de-stress your relationship?
We talk all the time - mostly about our girls - they keep us grounded and laughing. When Barack is home and the weather is nice, we take bike rides, we go to the museum, we play games, and we enjoy being around each other. He and I also try to squeeze in a dinner date every now and then.

Tell me about a good experience and a bad experience you had seeking health care.
One bad experience is what we saw with Barack's mother. She was battling cancer and was sadly forced to spend time near the end of her life worrying about health insurance coverage, and whether she'd be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. This is something that has profoundly affected Barack - and it's why he is so committed to enacting universal health care coverage that gives every American the quality of care that he receives as a member of Congress.

What are your best and worst health habits?
I love to work out - it's cathartic for me, and I make it a point to get a good work out in when I'm home from the campaign trail. At the same time, I love French fries. We just got back from South Carolina, and some of my favorite stops on our campaign swing were at some great barbeque and fried chicken spots across the state. You just can't beat a good plate of barbecue.

Do you have a personal health philosophy?
I talk a lot on the campaign trail about the importance of mental, physical and spiritual health. We as women have a lot on our plates - we're always juggling. Every woman I know, regardless of race, education, income, background, is struggling every day to keep her head above water. We've been told we can have it all, but lose ourselves in the process. We need to put ourselves higher on our own to do lists. I know that's hard for so many, so we also need to ensure we give women and families the resources they need to not only survive, but thrive.

Name the first time a health condition altered your daily living.
Not sure of the first health condition, but I know one important health issue to impact our daily lives is our oldest daughter's asthma. Malia's asthma has encouraged us to keep stimulants out of our house that could irritate her breathing.

Source: Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Communications Director for Michelle Obama.

Edwards & Giuliani Out

2008-01-30T09:43:00.001-05:00

The campaign trail has two fewer candidates.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, saying "it's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path," dropped out of the presidential race.

He made the announcement in the same city where he kicked off his campaign, New Orleans.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also officially dropped out Wednesday, endorsing Sen. John McCain in the process, making it clear after coming in third in the make-or-break Florida primary that he was finished.

In Edwards' case, he had also campaigned hard in previous primaries and caucuses but placed a distant third to senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, basically shutting down his presidential aspirations even before Super Tuesday.

Edwards was the first Democrat to put out his detailed health plan, which called for eventual universal coverage of all Americans. He repeated that call during his press conference Wednesday: "Universal health care for every man, woman and child in America ... That is our cause."

Giuliani based his campaign on "12 commitments." Two of them focused on health care issues: One was a pledge to give "Americans more control over and access to health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions." He also pledged to "increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children."

If you want to know more about Edwards or Giuliani, you can find out about them on our "Who's Dropped Out" page.

As for the remaining candidates, both Republican and Democrat, you can see how they face off on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can always get the latest news from around the country on the next big contest, Super Tuesday, and beyond, on our election news page.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

(Rebecca Bates contributed to this report)

Giuliani Down for the Count

2008-01-29T23:17:00.000-05:00

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was a bit like a boxer who waited until the third round to step into the ring, only to get knocked out decisively.

After pinning all his hopes on Florida by forgoing earlier caucuses and primaries, the Republican contender came in a distant third on Tuesday to winner John McCain and runner-up Mitt Romney.

Giuliani's concession speech relied on the past tense, and various media reports say he's prepared to drop out of the race.

Giuliani made it clear that Florida was make-or-break for him, and it turned out to be a bad break. It might be a good break for McCain though, who will reportedly get Giuliani's endorsement.

Giuliani based his campaign on "12 commitments." Two of them focused on health care issues: One was a pledge to give "Americans more control over and access to health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions." He also pledged to "increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children."

If you want to know more about Giuliani, you can find out about him in our election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for all the remaining candidates still in the fight, both Republican and Democrat, you can see how they face off on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can always get the latest news from around the country on the next big contest, Super Tuesday, and beyond, on our election news page.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Going Off Menu

2008-01-28T17:50:00.000-05:00

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is known for his healthy habits, such as running several times a week and eating his wife's homemade granola. That's why it made a bit of news on foxnews.com when he went off menu and ate fried chicken last week. Not just any fried chicken, mind you, but none other than some from the Colonel himself.

He only ordered it because there was no broiled chicken left, and he said it was OK because he took off the skin and only ate the chicken. His press secretary confirmed that it had no trans fat or saturated fat, and WebMD's Director of Nutrition, Kathleen Zelman, said it was a great choice.

"It's very nutritious and it's a healthier way to eat fried chicken," Zelman says.

(With or without skin, Romney's not the only one who likes fried chicken; fellow candidate Mike Huckabee confessed that it's his favorite guilty pleasure food.)

We can only imagine how difficult it is to stay healthy when you are overextended and have no time to keep up your healthy habits. That's one reason why we asked the candidates about how they handle the stress of the campaign.

You can read about that and all the candidates' health habits, challenges, and guilty pleasures on our Candid Candidates page.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor, WebMD

Kucinich Drops Out

2008-01-24T17:31:00.000-05:00

The Democratic field is one less. In a news conference Friday, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich said he "fought the good fight," but he's dropping out of the presidential race.

The former mayor of Cleveland said he will still seek a seventh term in Congress as an Ohio representative.

Always considered a long-shot bid, Kucinich got lots of attention in his second run for president, but as with his first attempt, hardly any votes.

Among all the candidates, both Democrat and Republican, he was the only one suggesting a single-payer health care system, which meant a government-funded, nonprofit universal health care plan for all Americans.

If you want to know more about Kucinich, you can still find out about him in our "Who's Dropped Out" section of our election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for the dwindling number of candidates still running, you can see how they compare on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can always get the latest news on the primaries from around the country on our election news page.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Fred Thompson Calls It Quits

2008-01-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

It took former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson a while to enter the presidential race, and perhaps that hurt him since he never really gathered the momentum he needed to make a go of it.

Regardless, now it's over. Thompson has dropped out. In a brief statement posted on his campaign site, he says: "Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

It would be hard for anyone to say this comes as a surprise. The former (and future?) Law & Order actor finished third in South Carolina, which was considered a "firewall," do-or-die state for Thompson. The weak showing came after poor finishes in the earlier caucuses and primaries, too.

As for his health care policy, it was never a cornerstone of his campaign. Thompson did say that every American is entitled to affordable health care, but he opposed any taxes or mandates to reach that goal.

If you want to know more about Thompson, you can go to the "Who's Dropped Out" section of our election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for the candidates who are still hot on the trail, you can see how they compare on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can get the latest news on the primaries from around the country on our election news page.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Duncan Hunter Out

2008-01-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

Unless you followed the presidential race closely, you might not have known Duncan Hunter, a U.S. representative from California, was even running for president as a Republican.

But after weak showings in Nevada and conservative South Carolina, Hunter has declared he's dropping out of the race.

As for his health stance, he never really had one. Hunter had some positions, such as allowing insurance to be purchased across states lines, but he placed most of his focus on immigration issues.

If you want to know more about him, you can find it in our "Who's Dropped Out" section of our election special "Health Matters in the 2008 Election."

As for the candidates who are still running hard, you can compare how they stack up on health, a major concern for voters, in our candidate comparison chart.

And you can get the latest news on the primaries from around the country on our election news page.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD

Speaking of Mental Health

2008-01-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

While one in four American adults suffer from mental disorders, and mental disorders are the leading cause of disability for people aged 15 to 44, mental health as a topic often remains on the back burner on the campaign trail.

Among the presidential candidates, many may talk about chronic conditions in their health care plans, but few talk about mental health. And when the National Alliance on Mental Illness asked them to respond to a questionnaire about their views on mental health policy, only three completed it: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. (John McCain didn't answer the questions but submitted a mental health statement.)

The questionnaire asked 22 questions, ranging from coverage for mental health plans to help for vets to training for mental professionals. If this issue is important to you and you are interested in their views, read about them here.

Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor
WebMD