On Campaign Trail, Rep. Kucinich Details Plans for Single-Payer Health System

Presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) on May 10 announced a proposal for a government-run, single-payer health system that would cover all Americans by 2013 and altogether eliminate the role of private health insurers, the Washington Post reports. Speaking to a group of painters union representatives in Ankeny, Iowa, Kucinich said, "It's long past time we should take the word 'profit' out of health care." Under the "Medicare for All" proposal, all children would be covered within three years, all seniors would be covered by 2008 and every U.S. resident would be covered within a decade. The Post reports that the proposal would cost an estimated $2.2 trillion per year when fully implemented. Kucinich said the proposal would be funded with a 7.7% tax on public and private employers that would produce $917 billion per year. Kucinich also would repeal $245 billion in tax deductions employers take for providing health insurance for their employees. Further, the proposal calls for using some of the $1 trillion in federal, state and local money that currently funds health care. Kucinich said the proposal would reduce government expenditures by purchasing prescription drugs in bulk. The proposal represents Kucinich's "efforts to inject more progressive policies into his party's presidential race," but it "has little chance of becoming law," the Post reports (Eilperin, Washington Post, 5/11).

Dean To Discuss His Plans Today; Kerry on Thursday
In related news, presidential candidate and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) is expected to unveil details of a health reform proposal on May 13, AP/New York Times (AP/New York Times, 5/11). Dean said his plan would cost $88 billion, part of which would be financed by repealing some of President Bush's tax cuts. Under the plan, $67 billion would go toward expanding the maximum eligibility age for the SCHIP program from 18 to 25 and by allowing the parents of eligible children to enroll, the Des Moines Register reports. Dean also would spend $11 billion on a program that would allow the uninsured to purchase health coverage similar to the way federal employees can select health plans under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. In addition, he has proposed spending about $9 billion to help subsidize small businesses' health costs and would spend remaining funds to help subsidize insurance for unemployed people (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/12). Dean also has proposed giving tax incentives to businesses that offer their employees health coverage and would penalize businesses that drop employee coverage. Dean's campaign manager Joe Trippi said Dean's plan is more generous and less expensive than the proposal offered by Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) (AP/New York Times, 5/12). Gephardt has proposed roughly doubling the federal subsidy to businesses to pay for insurance premiums to 60% and require employers to provide coverage; expanding Medicare to allow individuals ages 55 to 64 to pay to enroll in the program; providing federal subsidies to help the unemployed purchase health coverage through COBRA; expanding the SCHIP program to cover parents of eligible children; and providing $172 billion to state and local governments over the next three years to reimburse them for the cost of health insurance for their employees. Gephardt said that the proposal would provide health insurance to 97% of the estimated 41 million U.S. residents who lack coverage. According to the Gephardt campaign, the program would cost $214 billion in 2005 and $247 billion by 2007. To fund the plan, Gephardt would repeal tax cuts enacted by President Bush (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/9). Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is expected to discuss his health care proposal May 15 in Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines Register, 5/12).