FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact:

Kelly Buck

Centrists.Org

1630 Connecticut Ave, NW 7th Floor
Washington DC, 20009
Phone: 202-546-4090

http://www.centrists.org

Full Media Kit Available

 

Centrists.Org Releases Report on Bipartisan Potential of Senator Kerry’s Health Proposal

 

Washington, DC – August 26, 2004 – Centrists.Org, a DC think tank for  bipartisan analysis and policymaking, released a report yesterday evaluating Senator Kerry’s campaign proposals for healthcare reform.  The report gauges the prospects for bipartisanship on each major part of Kerry's health proposal. 

On balance, three parts of Kerry's plan are likely to receive on-going bipartisan interest, regardless of who wins the election this fall:  (1) the "premium rebate" subsidies for the highest-cost enrollees in health plans, (2) group purchasing pools for small businesses, (3) and expanded public-sector coverage for adults under poverty not currently eligible for Medicaid.
 

Centrists.Org Executive Director Jeff Lemieux stated, “Senator Kerry's health proposal is expensive, but it contains many features that should appeal to conservatives.  In general, Kerry's ideas would fill gaps in the current health insurance market -- he doesn't try to re-build the system from scratch.  Kerry seems to have learned some important lessons from the President Clinton's failed health reform effort."
 

Centrists.Org believes Kerry's plan could be scaled to fit the budget, and offers three distinct alternatives:  a low-cost plan ($215 billion over 10 years), a medium-cost plan ($480 billion), and a high-cost alternative ($735 billion).  These scenarios include an estimate of the trade-off in the number of uninsured.

 

Kerry’s health proposal is similar in many ways to a blueprint offered in July by Senate Republican leader Bill Frist.  Centrists.Org’s report concludes that Kerry’s proposal tries to achieve “liberal goals" mostly through "conservative means,” which can be a formula for legislative success.

"The recent rise in the number of uninsured Americans to 45 million is discouraging," said Lemieux.  "Households with incomes below $75,000 are getting hit hard by rising health insurance premiums and the weak job market.  Hopefully, Congress will take a serious look at Senator Kerry's plan and Senator Frist's proposal next year."

 

 

***The full text of this report is available on the web.