In his op-ed (Feb 4), Paul Krugman demonstrated that he cannot see the forest for the trees. The question is not who has better details on enforcement/mandates; Congress will decide that. The question is who can achieve needed reforms? Obama has pledged to begin working immediately with Congress to take advantage of a very short window of opportunity to enact reform. Obama has committed to get health care reform enacted by the end of his first term. Hillary Clinton has made no such commitment; she says she will get it done “by the end of my second term.” She is also handicapped in her ability to “take on” the special interests; her campaign is financed by health insurance and pharmaceutical PACs and lobbyists; Obama has taken none of their money. If you want a President who will actually deliver health care reform, Barack Obama is your choice.
The above statement was drafted and signed by the following health policy scholars and experts who are supporting the Obama Campaign.
Helen Ann Halpin, PhD, ScM
University of California, Berkeley
School of Public Health
Gene Webb, PhD
The University of Chicago
The Pritzker School of Medicine
Michael Pine, M.D., M.B.A..
University of Chicago
Pritzker School of Medicine
Richard C. Hubbard, M.D.
New York, NY
Clarissa K. Wittenberg
Health Education Consultant
Washington, D C
Kasturi Halder, Ph.D.
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine
Evanston, IL