Guest Author - Alice Rienzo

Health coverage is an important issue for young people all across the nation. Many kids, who go to school, do not have health care. If they get sick, their parents usually cannot afford to take them to the doctor or buy medicine. You might think that is a problem for the poor. That is not the entire truth. Many states have health care for the poor and those whose income falls in the lower middle-class range. Therefore, those children are covered. Rich families can afford to pay for health care. That leaves the average American. The average American makes too much money to qualify for free health care, and not enough money to pay for health care out of their own pockets.

It is important to understand what kinds of health programs are available for kids. Understanding what is available can help us understand why a particular candidate thinks his or her health care plan is what our nation needs.

Hillary Clinton wants a universal plan based on a mixture of private insurance and government programs to expand health coverage. She also wants to propose an “individual mandate” requiring all Americans to buy insurance. She provides a health care tax credit under the American Health Choices Plan so that every American will be able to afford health care (Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada Nov 15, 2007).

Barack Obama wants a universal plan based on a mixture of private insurance and government programs to expand health coverage. Obama chooses to believe that Americans would buy insurance if it were affordable. Obama believes health care is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few. He has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America (Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.org, "On the Issues" Sep 28, 2004).

Mike Gravel proposes federally funded voucher system to cover all Americans based on need and would include a modest co-pay (that means you pay some money every time you see a doctor or need a prescription). His plan would be paid for with a retail sales tax (that will increase, not stay as it is now. All citizens would get the same health care. They would be able choose from insurance plans or a government plan like Medicare. (Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate Sep 13, 2007).

Universal health care is a plan that gives medical insurance to all citizens in a state or country. Universal health care is mostly funded through taxation upon the citizens, which is not entirely different from paying for it out of your own pocket. It is supplemented with tax levies and privately paid-for additions to basic coverage. In Canada, taxation upon individuals is in excess of 52% of a person’s annual income. Individual provinces can also add an additional retail tax upon goods and services to supplement basic coverage. In addition, many employers also offer extra medical benefits that an employee may purchase for coverage beyond the basic.

To learn more about health insurance for infants, children and teens in your state, visit Insure Kids Now! website.