Senator John McCain's Health Plan

McCain's web site, Straight Talk on Health System Reform, can be found at:http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb527cf.htm.

Like Clinton and Obama, McCain's program is very general, very vague, and very hard to pin down. No price tag is specified.

McCain sees health care cost inflation as a fundamental problem. He calls for (without specifying a mechanism) controlling costs. He advocates family control of its health care dollars and care and providing access to care. He speaks of providing flexibility to veterans allowing them to choose a provider that gives them timely care at high quality and in the best location. Without being specific, McCain calls for global reforming of the culture of our health system, the way we pay for it, and its quality. He speaks of promoting competition among providers and among alternative treatments, and empowering patients in preventive care and care. He favors an information rich health care marketplace with data concerning medical outcomes, quality of care, costs, and prices. as well as national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes. McCain calls for greater Medicare emphasis on diagnosis, prevention and care coordination, but rejects Medicare payment for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.

On McCain's list is support for federal research on the basis of sound science resulting in greater focus on care and cure of chronic disease. He encourages flexibility at the state level through Medicaid innovation, alternative insurance policies and insurance providers and different licensing schemes for medical providers. McCain appears to endorse national or different licensing for medical providers which would allow them to practice nationwide. Like Clinton and Obama, McCain emphasizes modern information systems. He calls for market flexibility "in permitting appropriate roles for nurse practitioners, nurses and doctors: as well as use of telemedicine. McCain references community and mental health clinics in areas where services and providers are limited.

McCain calls for the development of routes for safe, cheaper generic versions of drugs and biologic pharmaceuticals and approves the development of safety protocols that permit re-importation to keep competition vigorous. He calls for tort reform, safe harbors for doctors that "follow clinical guidelines and adhere to patient safety protocols" and calls for vigorous enforcement of federal protections against collusion, unfair business actions, and deceptive consumer practices. He favors competition and innovation in insurance coverage and insurance portability. He proposes to reform the tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health insurance, and provide all individuals with a $2,500 tax credit ($5,000 for families) to increase incentives for insurance coverage. Individuals owning innovative multi-year policies that cost less than the full credit can deposit remainder in expanded health savings accounts. McCain favors individuals' ability to get portable insurance through any business, church, organization or association that they choose. This insurance will be portable across all jobs, and will automatically bridge the time between retirement and Medicare eligibility.

McCain promotes individual responsibility for health and illness prevention but favors education and public health initiatives.

Although McCain differs from the other candidates in at least one position (i.e., possibly endorsing a national licensing system for health care providers), like his competitors, he is vague on details and provides no cost figures or information on the revenue sources to accomplish his plan.