Health Care: Which Candidates and Their Campaign Staff Are Covered?

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/01/14/health-care-which-candidates-and-their-campaign-staff-are-covered/

by Seth Michaels, Jan 14, 2008

Health care is set to be a crucial issue in this year’s presidential election. We’ve just launched a new survey to find out about your experiences with the health care system—and we plan to blog some of the stories coming in as part of the survey. (You can vote on stories you think make the most impact here.)

Today, NPR’s “Morning Edition” ran a spot that looks at health care and the presidential election from another angle: Are the candidates and their staff covered, and how?

Many of the candidates themselves are currently serving in Congress, so they’re covered by the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan. Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) receives health coverage through his campaign. But interestingly, most Republican candidates wouldn’t discuss the issue. As NPR reporter Julie Rovner says in today’s story:

It’s a shame those candidates won’t talk about their own coverage, says health policy analyst Marilyn Moon. Because knowing what kind of coverage they have would help illustrate how the health-reform plans they’re proposing for everyone else—plans that rely more on having individuals buy their own insurance—might or might not work.



“One of the difficulties in terms of assessing these health-care plans is actually illustrated by the situations of some of these candidates. Not all of them might qualify for good coverage under the plans that they have offered,” Moon says.

And what about the campaign staffs who work long hours to get their candidates elected? All of the major Democratic campaigns are providing staff with health care, except for Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), whose campaign hasn’t yet had the budget to provide staff with coverage. Kucinich supports a single-payer health care system.

On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are providing employees with a health plan, while the mostly volunteer staff of Reps. Ron Paul (Tex.) and Duncan Hunter (Calif.) are not covered. Other Republicans refused to comment.

FULL story at link.

[Inspired]

1. One of the Edwards staffers told me they had excellent health care benefits. n/t

[mentalsolstice]

2. I can't blame anyone from getting coverage where they can.

While I'm for universal health care....well hell, I take advantage of my spouse's very generous benefits package...I'd be stupid not to.