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Where Do You Stand? The Presidential Nominees on the Issues
Health Care Senator McCain proposes transforming the current employer-based health insurance system into a private insurance system with individual tax credits to encourage insurance purchase. Senator McCain is also a proponent of drug importation, but only if it can be safe and effective, which his campaign recently stated doesn't seem likely at this time. Click here for more on McCain's plan. Senator Obama proposes transforming the current health insurance system with a national health care plan, increasing both regulation of the system and government subsidies to individuals and businesses. Obama also supports drug importation if it can deliver safe and affordable medicine, and just as Sen. McCain's campaign said recently, Obama's campaign doesn't see this as likely at this time. Click here for more on Obama's plan. Both platforms for reform have their benefits and drawbacks. According to two recent studies published in the journal Health Affairs, McCain's plan, as outlined, would leave millions without coverage, or with poor coverage. And Obama's, as outlined to date, would not address the incentive problems contributing to skyrocketing costs. Regardless of who wins in November, it is clear that each plan has room to change and evolve, with input from the key players and thought leaders in health care today. Pfizer is committed to ensuring that our views are represented to the candidates so that we will have a seat at the table in shaping these and other reforms that impact our business and our patients. Did you know? One great resource for information about Congressional candidates' health care positions is http://www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org/. You can use the site to compare candidates' views or urge candidates to share their positions. Encourage your colleagues, friends and family to visit the site and learn the facts. You can also visit www.Health08.org. Created and operated by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Health08.org provides analysis of policy issues, regular public opinion surveys, daily news updates, video of speeches and debates from the campaign trail, original interviews and resources about health policy issues in the 2008 elections. Taxes Both candidates propose increased tax cuts. Obama's proposed cuts would be greatest for lower and middle-income families, and would total roughly $2.9 trillion between 2009 - 2018, according to the Tax Policy Institute. McCain's proposed cuts would apply across the board, with the biggest applying to higher-income households, totaling $4.2 trillion for that same period. According to the report, without dramatic new cuts in government spending, both Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama's plans would "substantially increase the national debt over the next 10 years." Click here to read more. Trade Sen. Obama generally supports free trade agreements, as long as they contain provisions to protect workers and the environment. Labor and environmental principles guide his support or opposition on different agreements, which is why, he says, he supported the recent agreement with Oman, but has criticized others, such as NAFTA. As Senator Obama puts it, "it is absolutely critical that we engaged in trade, but it has to be viewed not just through the lens of Wall Street, but also Main Street..."[iii] For a more in-depth study of the candidates' trade positions, you can visit the Council on Foreign Relations' web site by clicking here. Cast Your Vote in the Presidential Straw Poll We are counting down the final days before the 2008 national elections. If Pfizer colleagues and retirees were to choose the President of the United States today, who would win? You can choose to vote for either of the Democratic or Republican nominees, or write in a third party candidate of your choice. Click here to cast your vote in the Presidential Straw Poll today. And don't forget to register to vote and then head to the polls in your community on November 4th. From Denver to St. Paul: Pfizer Colleagues Engaged with both Parties Pfizer's leadership team and government relations team had a significant presence at both of the recent national party conventions. With unprecedented viewership and political participation, Jeff Kindler along with ELT colleagues Rich Bagger, Sally Susman, and Mary McLeod ensured Pfizer was well-represented at both national conventions where meetings were held with top ranking Federal and State lawmakers. In addition, Pfizer has been working with representatives from both campaigns to offer our insight on meaningful health reforms, since the next President will control our largest customer, and influence our pricing, advertising, intellectual property and more. Kevin Cranney, from Pfizer's Oncology West Sales Division, represented the State of California as a delegate at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Of his experience, and why he was proud to serve as a delegate, Kevin says, "Because I am an American, and it matters. I like to be in the know, in the mix, helping to influence the decisions that make things better and deliver for good causes. Being involved in politics is just one outlet, working for Pfizer is another." Rick Hubbard, a Senior Director in Worldwide External Medical Affairs, is an active contributor to the healthcare advisory group for Senator Obama. Some of Rick's responsibilities are to monitor media and other public information channels for comment, breaking news, emerging issues, and for stories of personal problems encountered by citizens in their healthcare system experiences. Advisors such as Rick also provide the campaign anecdotes of personal stories which allow the campaign to connect with the public on a personal level. Rick cites his experience canvassing door-to-door in Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania where he had the opportunity to talk to voters about their impressions of the candidates and their positions on the issues as being one of the highlights of his involvement with the campaign. Did you know? Approximately 77 million viewers watched the Presidential Nominees give their speeches during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. That's 39 million viewers that tuned in to watch John McCain's speech, which was just slightly higher than that of Democratic counterpart Barack Obama who racked up a total of 38.4 million viewers.[iv] Fun Fact: Private Industry is the Bedrock of Medical Innovation! In a recent study of 35 drug classes, conducted by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, researchers found that almost all of the medicines would have not have been developed or would have been delayed significantly, without the contributions of the pharmaceutical industry.[v] This same study concluded that policy proposals that could diminish private investment - like importation or price controls - would lead to an erosion of the economic benefits of National Institute of Health research efforts as well. [i] Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Sept. 10-11, 2008. N=1,038 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3.8 (for all registered voters). http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm [ii] Obama & McCain back-to-back speeches at NALEO Jun 28, 2008 [iii] 2008 Democratic debate at University of Texas in Austin Feb 21, 2008 [iv] http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2008/09/gopers_beat_oba.html [v] (Zycher) http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/mpr_06.htm
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It's a challenging time in our nation's history. Turbulence in the financial markets. Economic uncertainty. A healthcare system in need of reform. An upcoming election. One thing is certain: the next Congress and President will steer our nation in a new direction. And on the top of their agendas are issues that directly impact all of us, as Pfizer colleagues, retirees and American citizens. So as we head into the 2008 elections, it's important to be able to cut through the media clutter to understand the policy proposals of each candidate, to make an informed and confident choice. Here, we take a look at several of those issues, and provide you with links for further in-depth information. Also don't forget to tune into the presidential debates 