National Health Care Exchange

in the world.1 Americans have their choice of top doctors and hospitals, and
our national investment in scientific research has paid off handsomely. Diseases that
were once life-threatening are now curable; conditions that once devastated are now
treatable. Yet, the benefits of the American health care system come at a price that an
increasing number of individuals and families, employers and employees, and public and
private providers cannot afford.
Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured because of rising medical
costs. Nearly 47 million Americans2—including 9 million children3—lack health
insurance. Eighty percent of the uninsured are in working families.4 Even those with
health coverage are struggling to cope with soaring medical costs. Skyrocketing health
care costs are making it increasingly difficult for employers, particularly small
businesses, to provide health insurance to their employees.
Health care costs are skyrocketing. Health insurance premiums have risen 4 times
faster than wages in the past 6 years, and increasing co-pays and deductibles threaten
access to care.5 Many insurance plans cover only a limited number of doctors’ visits or
hospital days, exposing families to unlimited financial liability. Nearly 11 million
insured spent more than a quarter of their salary on health care last year.6 And over half
of all personal bankruptcies today are caused by medical bills.7 Lack of affordable health
care is compounded by serious flaws in our health care delivery system. About 100,000
Americans die from medical errors in hospitals every year.8 Prescription drug errors
alone cost the nation more than $100 billion every year.9 One-quarter of all medical
spending goes to administrative and overhead costs and reliance on antiquated paperbased
record and information systems needlessly increases these costs.10
Underinvestment in prevention and public health. Too many Americans go without
high-value preventive services, such as cancer screening and immunizations to protect
against flu or pneumonia. Providers are not adequately reimbursed for helping patients
manage chronic illnesses like diabetes or asthma.11 Similarly, community-based
prevention efforts, which have helped to drive down rates of smoking and lead poisoning,
for example, are under-utilized despite their effectiveness. The nation faces epidemics of
Paid for by Obama for America
obesity and chronic diseases as well as new threats of pandemic flu and bioterrorism. Yet
despite all of this less than 4 cents of every health care dollar is spent on prevention and
public health.12 Our health care system has become a disease care system, and the time
for change is well overdue.
BARACK OBAMA’S PLAN FOR A HEALTHY AMERICA
Barack Obama believes when it comes to health care America can and must do better. In
the absence of national leadership, states have been leading the way with health care
reforms that lower costs and provide coverage for all. Obama has a three part plan to
build upon the strengths of the U.S. health care system, including innovative state efforts,
and address its glaring weaknesses, such as affordability. Through partnerships among
federal and state governments, employers, providers and individuals, the Obama plan will
save a typical American family up to $2,500 every year on medical expenditures by:
(1) Providing affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every
American;
(2) Modernizing the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and
improve the quality of patient care; and
(3) Promoting prevention and strengthening public health, to prevent disease and
protect against natural and man-made disasters.
Under the Obama plan, the typical family will save up to $2,500 every year through: