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Articles: Kerry Focuses on Health Care

Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 06:10 AM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Democrat John Kerry is focusing on health care reform in a very complex environment, one complicated by the furor at home and abroad over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers.
Kerry was scheduled Tuesday to tour a family health center before sitting down for a "conversation on health care" with health professionals, advocates and consumers struggling with rising medical costs. The event, and its focus on the effects that soaring costs are having on small businesses, will be the Massachusetts Democrat's second on a four-day swing through some key battleground states. The tour is designed to call attention to what Kerry sees as a crisis in the nation's health care system. "We know that the foundation of our economy is the small business," Kerry said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday. "The health care crisis is bad for business." But those remarks are unlikely to challenge the prisoner abuse scandal for top news billing of the day. Questions about whether Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will keep his job, a new round of congressional hearings Tuesday on the matter and talk of additional photos of abuse will likely overshadow Kerry's round-table discussion. "There's a real problem when you want to be focused on one thing and the news wants to focus on something else," said Kathleen Jamieson, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. The "theme week" is only the latest effort by Kerry to devote blocks of time to a single issue. He spent several days last week discussing his plans for education, after wrapping a jobs bus tour of several battleground states. But although reports about Iraqi prisoner abuse dominate the national news media, Kerry pulls heavy coverage from local and regional outlets as his campaign makes its way through electorally important states. His appearances often lead local news broadcasts and appear on the front pages of local newspapers, generally reflecting his message. Jamieson said the best Kerry can hope for is good local news coverage, especially in competitive states. "He doesn't need to win the nation," she said. "He needs to win the battleground states." Bill Carrick, a California-based Democratic consultant, said Kerry's time-consuming focus on issues is laying the groundwork for voters, many of whom still know little about him, recent polls have shown. "You lay down a lot of these issues as a foundation or a base and use that as a base for the campaign later on," he said. Some analysts have argued that Kerry already has carved out a stark difference with Bush on the issue with sharp criticism of the president. Last week, Kerry criticized the administration's handling of the reports of abuse by saying that if he were president he would not be "the last to know what is going on in my command." Kerry's focus on issues other than the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners also may not be a bad thing, Carrick said. With Bush and his administration facing heavy pressure and criticism from the scandal, the Democrat does not need to comment on the situation more than necessary, Carrick said. He said the contrast between a president on the defensive and a challenger talking about serious issues, like health care, can help Kerry. "It may be good that Kerry is out there talking about bedrock, serious issues that affect real people while Bush is wrestling with this," Carrick said. Bush will attempt to change the subject Tuesday when he begins a three-day focus on education with a trip to Arkansas. Kerry is making the case on health care costs with a campaign study that says health premium costs have grown by $2,777 per family during Bush's tenure and now run nearly $10,000 a year for the typical family. With an eye on the electoral map, Kerry broke his study down state by state. He says health insurance costs in Pennsylvania -- its 21 electoral votes critical to his election -- have grown $2,756 over four years, with a family policy now averaging $9,477. In Ohio, with 20 electoral votes, costs have grown $2,704 and policies now cost $9,300. The numbers for Michigan, with 17 electoral votes, show a $2,795 increase to a family cost of $9,612.

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