Election 2008 | Presidential Candidates' Platforms Reflect Differences in Perspectives of Democratic, Republican Primary Voters on Health Care Issues

"A newly published article in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that the contrasting health care platforms of the leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates reflect underlying differences in the views of their primary voters, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports...

According to the survey, 65% of Democratic voters say they would like presidential candidates to propose plans that would expand health insurance to all residents, regardless of whether such plans would increase government spending. Among Republican voters, 23% would like to hear about proposals that would expand health insurance to all residents, compared with 42% who prefer more limited proposals and 27% who would like to see no changes to the current system, the survey found."

The sad part is that just about everybody wants more from a system that will not be able to deliver their expectations.

Health improvement is a personal responsibility that comes from fitness. At least the parts over which you have control.

Sick care, regularly mischaracterized as health care, is a rescue industry.

As long as we keep getting the two confused, we will not achieve health and we will keep chasing our tails. (Figuratively. If we did it actually and properly, we might be able to improve fitness and health of some people.)

by Michael Applebaum, M.D.