17. "Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America:
6. "No Increase in Public Pressure for Healthcare
Lowering Health Care Costs and Ensuring
Reform." Interestingly, this criticism of the health
Affordable, High-Quality Health Care for All,"
care "system" comes even though Americans
Obama '08, www.BarackObama.com.
remain by and large satisfied with their own health
care. Fully 88 percent of voters believe the quality of
18. Meckler, "Clinton, Obama Split."
the care they receive is good or excellent, and 70
percent are satisfied with their insurance coverage.
19. "Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America."
"Majority of Americans Satisfied with their Health-
care Plans," Gallup Poll, November 29, 2007.
20. John Wagner and Michael Barbaro, "Md.
Passes Rules on Wal-Mart Insurance," Washington
7. One might also ask about the Libertarian candi-
Post, April 6, 2005; Jennifer Steinhauer, "California
date, former representative Bob Barr. Although
Plan for Health Care Would Cover All," New York
Barr can be presumed to support free market
Times, January 9, 2007.
reforms for health care, his campaign website
(www.bobbarr08.com) does not contain any infor-
21. Barack Obama, speech delivered at the Uni-
mation on the issue. Barr has released a You-Tube
versity of Iowa, May 29, 2007.
video in which he criticizes government interfer-
ence in health care and calls for "restoring health
22. Obama'08, "Background Questions and
care to doctors and the people." It does not, how-
Answers on Health Care Plan," http://www.barack
ever, contain any specific proposals (see http://
obama.com/pdf/Obama08_HealthcareFAQ.pdf.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpzSxciOl7o&fea-
ture=user). While in Congress, Barr voted in favor
23. Karen Tumulty, "Obama Channels Hillary on
of market-oriented reforms such as Health Savings
Health Care," Time, May 29, 2007.
Accounts. However, he also voted in favor of an ear-
ly version of the Medicare prescription drug bene-
24. Katherine Baicker and Helen Levy, "Employer
fit, HR 4954, 2002. (Barr had left Congress by the
Health Insurance Mandates and the Risk of
time the final bill came to a vote.) Ramesh
Unemployment," Employment Policies Institute,
Ponnuru, "Bob Barr and Entitlements," National
June 2005.
Review Online, May 13, 2008, http://corner.nation-
alreview.com/post/?q=NjRjMmRhYTU1MzY4Mz
25. Ibid.
ZiNWVjNWUyMjU4Zjk4ZGVhZjU=.
26. Obama'08, "Poverty: Make Work Pay for All
8. Quoted in Karen Tumulty, "The Great Health
Americans," http://www.barackobama.com/issues
Care Debate of 2008 is finally Engaged," Time
/poverty/#make-work-pay.
Blog, April 30, 2008, http://www.time-blog.com
/swampland/2008/04/the_great_health_care_de
27. "The Uninsured: A Primer, Key Facts about
bate_o.html.
Americans without Health Insurance," Kaiser
Family Foundation, December 2003.
9. Quoted in Larissa MacFarquhar, "The Concili-
ator," New Yorker, May 7, 2007.
28. Quoted in "Clinton Says Obama NAFTA,
Healthy Care Attack Mailers Are Unfair," Foxnews.
10. See http://iowa.barackobama.com/page/com
com, February 23, 2008.
munity/tag/Ames.
29. Children's Defense Fund, "Who Are the
11. See Alain Enthoven, "The History and
Uninsured?" September 2007, citing data from
Principles of Managed Competition," Health Affairs
U.S. Census Bureau: 2005 (revised), 2006 (revised),
12, Supplement 1 (1993): 2448.
and 2007 Annual Social and Economic Supple-
ment to the Current Population Survey.
12. Hillary Clinton,"Remarks on American Health
Choices Plan," Des Moines, Iowa, September 17,
30. Scott Gottlieb, "Obama's Health Care Record,"
2007.
Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2008.
13. Obama, The Audacity of Hope, p. 184.
31. Jill Miller Zimon, "Where Are Obama, Clinton
on Mental Health Parity Effort?" Moderate Voice,
14. Ibid., p. 179.
March 6, 2008. Obama had led the fight to pass a
similar mental health parity requirement on the
15. Ibid., p. 180.
state level in Illinois.Obama'08, "Barack Obama's
Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities,"
16. Laura Meckler, "Clinton, Obama Split on
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/DisabilityPla
Insurance Mandate," Wall Street Journal, February
nFactSheet.pdf. An analysis by the actuarial firm
23, 2008.
20