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Sarah Palin on Health Care

Sarah Palin's running mate is John McCain
Possibly the largest domestic issue in 2008, health care is a problem that is universally recognized and answered with a diversity of prescriptions from the candidates. Private versus government funded health care and the definition of "universal" care split the candidates across their respective policies. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: universal health care, privatization of health care, government support for health care through tax incentives, and employer assistance in obtaining health care.

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Sarah Palin strongly supports a market-based, for-profit approach to providing more Americans with health care

"I look forward to working with affected parties to find the necessary solutions that will lead to more affordable health care for Alaskans. I support flexibility in government regulations that allow competition in health care that is needed, and is proven to be good for the consumer, which will drive down health care costs and reduce the need for government subsidies. I also support patients in their rightful demands to have access to full medical billing information."

Campaign website, www.palinforgovernor.com,

Governor Sarah Palin today introduced the Alaska Health Care Transparency Act which will provide more effective tools to help Alaskans access affordable health care, and to ensure our health care system is responsive to changing demographics and market conditions. The bill would establish an Alaska health care information office to give consumers factual information on quality, cost and other important matters to help them make better-informed decisions about health care in the state. Recognizing that health care must be market-and business-driven, rather than restricted by government, Governor Palin is proposing a repeal of the Certificate of Need program (CON). CON is a regulatory process that requires certain health care providers to obtain state approval before offering certain new or expanded services. [Palin's administration] concluded that the CON program does not benefit the citizens of Alaska, given the litigious environment surrounding it.

link (article)

Sarah Palin is neutral on requiring American employers to cover a significant portion of the health care costs of their employees

"Alaskans want health care in the hands of doctors, not lobbyists and lawyers. We are considering what other fiscally conservative states have done to incentivize employers to provide medical insurance for employees, based on the free market."

State of the State Address to the 25th Alaska Legislature Jan 15, 2008