Universal Health Care

"We ought not to be the last industrialized country in the world to guarantee health insurance to all our citizens."

Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.

As a doctor, I understand the fear facing families without health insurance. As a Governor, I am proud that virtually every child under 18 and more than 92 percent of adults in Vermont are eligible for health coverage. But as a country, the United States can do better.

To help finance this effort, we must repeal the President's tax cuts -- which have thrown America back into the huge deficits of the 1980s -- and begin to balance the federal budget. We cannot build crucial social programs without a solid financial foundation.

Guaranteeing coverage to all Americans will involve a mix of state and federal programs, as well as the existing private sector. Similar to our program in Vermont, states should be required to guarantee coverage for all children under age 23. In return, the federal government should assume responsibility for drug and acute medical care for Americans over age 65. In addition, older Americans deserve a pharmacy benefit under Medicare - an unaffordable impossibility under the current fiscal policies of President Bush. With a pharmaceutical package, Medicare becomes a decent insurance program. Finally, to cover those between the ages of 23 and 65, we should use the present employer-based system with refundable tax credits and federal subsidies to cover low- and moderate-income Americans who lack insurance.

This plan is affordable and simple, relying on three existing systems - one for children, one for seniors, and one for those in between - which all Americans can understand.


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