FIND DETAILS AT -- http://www.barackobama.com/issues Barack Obama's Plan to REFORM HEALTHCARE
Health insurance premiums have risen 4 times faster than wages over the past 6 years. Nearly 50 Million Americans are uninsured and millions more are underinsured. Less than 4 cents of every health dollar goes to disease prevention and public health
Q U AL IT Y , AF FO RD AB LE AN D PO RT AB L E C O V E R AG E FO R AL L Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress with: 1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American can be turned away from any plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions. 2. Comprehensive benefits. 3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles. 4. Subsidize Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance. 5. Simplified paperwork and enrollment. 6. Portability and choice. Workers can change jobs without losing their coverage. 7. Set increase standards and increase quality and efficiency. Create a National Health Insurance Exchange: watchdog service to create rules and standards and help individuals who wish to evaluate and purchase a private insurance plan. Require Employers that do not offer quality health coverage to contribute to the national plan. Small businesses will be exempt and receive a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to reduce their costs. Mandatory Coverage of Children and allow youth up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans. Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP. Retain Flexibility for State Plans provided they meet minimum national standards. Modernize health care by creating Electronic Health Information Technology Systems and Increasing competition Advance the Biomedical Research, Fight global AIDS, and
FO R M O R E IN FO RM AT IO N AB O UT B AR AC K' S PL AN Read the Plan Read the Frequently-Asked Q and A Read the Speech Read the HIV/AIDS Agenda Read the Cancer Agenda
IRAQ & FOREIGN POLICY
Obama opposed the Iraq invasion from the beginning as a costly distraction from our prime objective of finding Al Caida and Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. His detailed plan for the Iraqis to take over their defense and the U.S. to leave Iraq by the end of 2009 is affirmed by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton.
Barack Obama's Plan to Modernize and expand our military for the 21st Century
Rebuild the Military for 21st Century Needs: special operations, civil affairs, foreign language training, cultural awareness, intelligence, and advise local allies to better confront mutual threats. Expand to Meet Military Needs on the Ground: by 65,000 Army soldiers and 27,000 Marines. Lighten the Burdens on Troops and Their Families Fully Equip Our Troops for the Missions They Face Review Weapons Programs Preserve Global Reach in the Air Maintain Power Projection at Sea National Missile Defense Ensure Freedom of Space Protect the U.S in Cyberspace against emerging cyber-threats. Restore the Readiness of the National Guard and Reserves Integrate Military and Civilian Efforts Create a Civilian Assistance Corps (CAC) of 25,000 volunteers with expert skills (doctors, lawyers, engineers, city planners, agriculture specialists, police, etc.) federal agencies could call on in times of need at home and abroad.
SUPPORT VETERANS:
Allow All Veterans Back into the VA. & Strengthen Care: including mental health, trauma and women's health. Combat Homelessness and Employment Discrimination and Ensure a Seamless Transition Fully Fund VA Medical Care and Fix the Benefits Bureaucracy
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/veterans/ RE ST O R E AM ER IC A’ S G L O B AL R E P UT AT I O N & AL L I AN C E S Engage Our Allies in Meeting Our Common Security Challenges Organize to Help Our Partners and Allies in Need
RE FO RM G O V ER NM ENT CO NT R ACT IN G Create Transparency for Military Contractors Restore Honesty, Openness, and Commonsense to Contracting and Procurement
TAXES, THE ECONOMY, ENERGY & THE ENVIRONMENT
WHY? -Wages are Stagnant as Prices for food, gas, tuition, everything are rising. President Bush and John McCain’s response is more of the same -- Tax Cuts for Corporations and the Wealthy Instead of for Middle Class, working Americans.
Enact a Windfall Oil Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families Provide $50 billion to Jumpstart the Economy and Prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs Make Taxes Fair Again with a tax credit of up to $1,000 per working family. Eliminate Income Taxes for 7 million Seniors Making Less than $50,000 Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: so millions can do their taxes in less than five minutes
Invest in Science, Technology, the Manufacturing Sector, & Clean, Renewable Energy, & Create 5 Million New Green Jobs:
Provide Tax Relief for Small Businesses and Start Up Companies Provide Short-term Relief to American Families Eliminate Our Need for Middle Eastern and Venezuelan Oil within 10 Years Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
He’ll make sure foreign trade strengthens the U.S. economy and creates more jobs:
Amend Free Trade Agreements to make them FAIR Improve Transition Assistance to help workers before losing their jobs. End Tax Breaks for Companies that Send Jobs Overseas Reward Companies that create jobs and Support Workers in America
WORKERS & CONSUMERS’ RIGHTS:
Ensure Workers' Right to Organize, unionize and strike if needed Raise the Minimum Wage to truly be a living wage that meets basic needs Protect Home Ownership, crack down on mortgage fraud and Establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights, and reform bankruptcy laws Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act, Flexible Work Arrangements, and After-school Opportunities
R E S T O R E F I S C AL D I S C I P L I N E T O W AS H I N G T O N
Reinstate PAYGO Rules to require that new spending or tax changes be paid for by program cuts or new revenue. Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy. Cut Pork Barrel Spending. Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient. End Wasteful Government Spending
Barack Obama's Plan to Reform Education & Strengthen Families:
The Problem:
No Child Left Behind Left the Money Behind and failed to provide high-quality teachers or adequately support them. Only 70 % of high school students graduate and 30 % of new teachers leave teaching within their first five years. College costs have grown 40 % in the past five years. o o o o o o o o E X P AN D H E AD ST AR T AN D AF FO R D AB L E , Q U AL IT Y CH ILD C AR E Reform & adequately fund No Child Left Behind. Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers Make Math and Science Education a National Priority. Address the Dropout Crisise. Expand High-Quality After-school Opportunities. Expand Summer Learning Opportunities. Support College Outreach Programs . Simplify College Financial Aid and Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit so the first $4,000 of
a college education is completely free for most Americans, and.
STRENGTHEN FAMILIES: o o o o o o o o o o o
Provide a "Making Work Pay" Tax Cut for America's Working Families of up to $1,000 per working family. Raise the Minimum Wage to $9.50 an Hour by 2011 and make it a truly Living Wage Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to up to $555. Expand Paid Sick Days to a minimum of 7/year. Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Encourage States to Adopt Paid Leave. Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities. Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. Protect Against Caregiver Discrimination Expand Flexible Work Arrangements Fight Credit Card Exploitation and Mortgage Fraud and protect homeownership and retirement security (Social Security, Pensions and Savings accounts)
Immigration Reform
o Every year, more than a half-million people enter the U.S. illegally or overstay their visas. o The Immigration bureaucracy is broken broken and overwhelmed, forcing legal immigrants to wait years for applications. o Immigration raids are ineffective, often arresting U.S. citizens and legal immigrants, while missing many illegals.
Barack Obama's Plan
o CREATE SECURE BORDERS by adding personnel, infrastructure and technology at the border and ports of entry. o FIX OUR BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM o REMOVE INCENTIVES TO ENTER ILLEGALLY by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants. o BRING PEOPLE OUT OF THE SHADOWS by allowing undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine,
learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.
o
o Respect Families: Obama
Promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration. introduced amendments to put greater emphasis on keeping immigrant families together.
INCREASE SUPPORT FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY
Barack Obama's Plan
Support Americans with Disabilities: As a former civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation. Barack Obama is also committed to ensuring that disabled Americans receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. Recognizing that many individuals with disabilities rely on Medicare, Obama worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the department of health and human services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that the Medicare recipients were protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents.
Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
Obama’s comprehensive agenda to empower individuals with disabilities fits in with the campaign's overarching message of equalizing opportunities for all Americans.
In addition to reclaiming America's global leadership on this issue by becoming a signatory to -- and having the Senate ratify -- the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the plan has four parts, designed to provide lifelong supports and resources to Americans with disabilities. They are as follows:
First, provide Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.
Second, end discrimination and promote equal opportunity.
Third, increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities.
And fourth, support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities.
F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N AB O U T B AR AC K ' S P L AN
Read the Full Plan Read the plan on Autism Spectrum Disorders