Health Care Panelist Break Down Candidate Plans

A panel of national experts predict health care will come up in tonight’s Town Hall debate at Belmont University because Americans want to talk about it.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist moderated a panel of experts this morning, including Chip Kahn of the Federation of American Hospitals. Kahn, who identifies himself as a Republican, says “universal coverage” shouldn’t set off alarm bells to either political party. He says we already have universal coverage. Hospitals treat anyone who walks through the door, whether they can pay or not.

“Whether is the right kind of care at the right time, we can debate. But at least at the baseline, everyone kind of looks the other way. But if people really need something, there’s the hospital, and I think it’s unsustainable.”

Kahn says both candidates have room to improve their health care plans. He says Barack Obama’s puts too much emphasis on employers. Chris Jennings, a policy strategist during the Clinton administration, says John McCain’s plan to emphasize private insurance could leave high-risk patients without coverage.

“Insurers will insure the healthy people, but if you had a pre-existing condition, you wouldn’t get health care. You couldn’t afford health care. John McCain couldn’t afford his own health care system.”

McCain’s plan does create a pool for people who can’t get insurance on the open market. But Jennings says there’s been no proposal for how to fund it.

The most skeptical panelist, Dick Morris, says the health care discussion should be put on hold. Money for reform was spent on last week’s Wall Street bailout.