Question
Will the candidate guarantee that all Americans have access to a health plan that is as good as what Congress has?
The Issue
All insurance plans are not created equal. Covered services, cost-sharing, and provider networks vary greatly from plan to plan. When it comes to the quality of a health insurance plan, the devil is in the details. For example, a health insurance plan that has a low monthly premium may appear to be a good deal, but if the plan fails to cover treatment for common conditions or limits the number of doctors' visits in a year, it may not be such a good deal after all. Because the breadth and depth of coverage varies so greatly, finding an affordable plan that covers necessary benefits can be quite a challenge.
While American families seeking coverage have to protect themselves against plans that may not meet their needs, Congress has the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to do this for them. The FEHBP provides members of Congress with a broad range of quality plan choices and ensures that these plans play by the rules. Each plan that wants to participate in the FEHBP must cover a minimum set of benefits. In addition, information that allows members of Congress to easily compare cost-sharing and other plan features and to select the best plan is posted on a Web site for all to see. This system has worked for decades, ensuring that members of Congress and other federal employees have access to a range of quality, affordable plans.
The Positions
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Senator McCain: Senator McCain’s health care plan does not guarantee that American families will have access to affordable insurance plans that provide coverage that is as good as what Congress has. His plan does not guarantee that insurers will cover any specific benefits—whether routine preventive care or more intensive services like chemotherapy for cancer. |
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Senator Obama: Senator Obama’s health care plan creates a National Health Insurance Exchange in which American families will have an opportunity to choose an insurance plan from a range of options with benefits as good as those that Congress has. These benefits include essential medical services, such as preventive, maternity, and mental health care, along with disease management services for those with more complicated health problems.18 |
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