Gephardt Presents Health Care Plan--April 23, 2003

Gephardt Presents Health Care Plan ...3 of 4 >

New York City, April 23, 2003. Rep. Gephardt greets a well wisher.

Key Points of the Gephardt Health Care Plan

Every employer would be required to provide access to quality coverage. Employers who do not currently offer health insurance would receive a 60% refundable tax credit for the full premium cost and would pass the full value of the credit on to the employer in the form of health insurance coverage.

Employers who currently offer health insurance would receive a 60% refundable tax credit on the employer's share of premium costs.

Existing programs would be expanded. Individuals between 55 and 64 would be allowed to purchase Medicare. A 65% federal subsidy for COBRA coverage would be created for the eligible unemployed. SCHIP and Medicaid would be extended to the parents of eligible children.

State and local goverments would be reimbursed for 60 percent of the cost of health insurance coverage for their employees.

Summarized from information provided by the campaign.

Speech Transcript

Critics' Corner:
Howard Dean - "...another pie-in-the sky radical revamping of our health care system that has no chance of ever being passed." - and - "The Gephardt proposal is a political document for a problem that needs a practical solution." (April 23, 2003 statement)

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) - "...a 'take-two-tax-hikes-and-call-me-in-the- morning' remedy that Main Street just can't afford." (April 23, 2003 release)

Republican National Committee (April 23, 2003 RNC Research Briefing) - "TRIED, TESTED, REJECTED CANDIDATE PROMOTES TRIED, TESTED, REJECTED IDEA: Dick Gephardt Proposes Universal Big Government Run Health Care"
The phrase "big government run health care" appears three times in this one page document.