Barack Obama to unveil Health Care Plan Next Week

[illinoisprogressive]

Sen. Obama will be unveiling his Health Care proposal in Iowa City, Iowa.
What was that about fading and being an empty suit, again????


Presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. will come to Iowa City next week to announce his health care plan, his campaign confirmed today.

A stop at University Hospitals on May 29 is the candidate’s second in Iowa City and ninth in Iowa since announcing his run for president. Obama drew a crowd of almost 10,000 to the University of Iowa Pentacrest on Earth Day.

“The speech comes on the heels of a lot of forums on health care from across the country,” said Tommy Vietor, a campaign spokesman in Des Moines.

The time and specific place of the health care announcement have not been determined, Vietor said.

Vietor said Obama has been hosting health care forums, including one in Mason City on April 5, to get feedback from voters on what they would like to see in his plan.

“It is a chance for him to hear from Iowa on what is working and what is not,” he said.

Sarah Swisher, state director of Iowa for Health Care, said it is no surprise Obama would choose Iowa City for this announcement.

“This is the health care capital of the state,” she said.

Iowa for Health Care is a project of Service Employees International Union, a health care workers’ union with a chapter in Iowa City. The project, with more than 20,000 members across the state and based in Iowa City, is pushing all the 2008 presidential candidates to announce health care plans by Aug. 1.

Iowa for Health Care worked to bring Obama to the area next week, Swisher said. Obama is the second candidate to announce a health care plan, following former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, she said.

The campaign started five years ago, before the 2004 presidential election, Swisher said. During presidential election cycles, the group works to make quality, affordable and accessible health care an issue in campaigns. In other years, Swisher said the group works with the state Legislature to pass health care initiatives, such as the cigarette tax.

“This isn’t a campaign that disappears,” she said. “It does when everyone has health care.”

Starting Friday, Iowa for Healthcare will launch its 2008 presidential campaign work. On Friday, the organization’s members will meet in Iowa City with Congressman Dave Loebsack, Iowa Rep. Ro Foege, D-Mount Vernon and Sen. Robert Dvorsky, D-Coralville, to talk about SCHIP funding. The Iowa Legislature recently expanded the program to offer health care coverage to 15,000 more low-income children and their parents, but needs matching federal funds.

On May 31, Iowa for Health Care will join Gov. Chet Culver on the steps of the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines to publicly announce their effort to push presidential candidates to make health care plans, Swisher said.

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/NEWS01/70522003/1079/NEWS01

[draft_mario_cuomo]

1. That is good to hear. Will HRC propose a plan for UNIVERSAL health care too?

[illinoisprogressive]

2. Hillary care!!!! ugh.

[papau]

3. I hope if it is employment based he works Medicare options into it n/t

n/t