Physicians Practice - February 2008 - (Page 20)

NOTE WORTHY DECISIONS, DECISIONS When it comes to healthcare policy ideas, there’s not much separating the rivals for the major party’s presidential nominations. All the Democrats promise to deliver some kind of universal healthcare access through government subsidies; Republicans claim they can increase access and lower cost by cutting red tape and offering tax incentives. Yet there are some subtle differences. This grid, adapted from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s election analysis Web site, can help sort it out. For more detail, go to www.health08.org. HILLARY CLINTON Overall approach Every American would be required to have coverage, with income-related tax subsidies available to make coverage affordable. JOHN EDWARDS Individuals would be required to obtain health insurance coverage and employers would be required to provide insurance or help finance insurance for employees. BARACK OBAMA Require all children to have health insurance, and employers to offer employee health benefits or contribute to the cost of the new public program. Require all children to have health insurance. Require employers to offer “meaningful” coverage or contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the public plan. Requirement to obtain or offer coverage Individuals must have health insurance coverage. Large employers must provide an employee plan or contribute to the cost of coverage. Most small employers are not required to offer or contribute to coverage costs but are provided incentives to do so. Refundable tax credit Refundable small business tax credit. (High-income small businesses would not qualify.) Once insurance is “affordable,” everyone would be “expected” to obtain health insurance coverage. Requires employers to provide or help finance health insurance for employees. Subsidies to individuals Subsidies to employers Refundable tax credit None Income-related subsidies Federal subsidies may partially reimburse employers for their catastrophic health care costs Barack Obama photo courtesy of www.barackobama.com/downloadsv2/ http://www.health08.org http://www.barackobama.com/downloadsv2/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - February 2008

Physicians Practice - February 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Your Future is in Your Hands Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Creating an A+ Practice Noteworthy Cover Story: Conquering Time: 5 Keys to a More Efficient Practice In Balance: A Family Affair Technology: Making EMRs Work in the Exam Room In Practice: "I've Got Some Bad News" The Tech Doctor - The EMR: Savior or Poseur? Ask the Experts NEW! Healthonomics: How to Handle Health Savings Accounts The Administrator's Desk: Finishing School for New Managers Human Resources: Is Your Partner Impaired The Great Practice Makeover: Too Well-Liked for His Own Good? Coding Idealab: 'Why I Blog' Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.