Sarah Palin on Health Care Republican Governor (AK); 2008 nominee for Vice President

Vouchers for veterans' health care outside the VA system

Palin didn't just criticize; she offered her own policy suggestions for improving veterans' lives. She suggested, for instance, that Congress should pass legislation to secure veterans' benefits permanently. She also said that the government should provide vouchers to veterans to pay for health care outside the VA system.

Young people are ObamaCare suckers: they must pay the bill

Last year, our fellow Americans had decided, evidently, to double-down on hopey-changey. But then, something happened, that 'hope and change' went from a catchy campaign slogan to a reality, and along the way, 'yes we can,' it became 'no you can't, no, you can't log on to the website, no you can't keep your health care.'

Americans know now: there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. There is no free birth control. There's no free doctor visits. Someone always pays, and if you don't know who that someone is, it's probably you.

Ode to Dr. Seuss: I do not like his health care scam

I do not like this Uncle Sam
I do not like his health care scam
I do not like these dirty crooks
Or how they lie and cook the books.
I do not like when Congress steals
I do not like their crony deals
I do not like this spying man
I do not like 'Oh yes we can'
I do not like this spending spree;
We're smart, we know there's nothing free!
I do not like reporter's smug replies
When I complain about their lies
I do not like this kind of hope,
And we wont' take it nope, nope, nope!

ObamaCare should focus on helping doctors via tort reform

Still, the bill was passed and the damage has been done. In the end, this unsustainable bill jeopardizes the very thing it was supposed to fix: our health care system. Somewhere along the way we forgot that health care reform is about doctors & patients, not the IRS & politicians. Instead of helping doctors with tort reform, this bill has made primary care physicians think about getting out of medicine. It was supposed to make health care more affordable, but our premiums will continue to go up.

Greater competition, more choices, and less litigation

Health Care Commission recommends habits against obesity

It starts by ending destructive habits, and beginning healthy habits in eating and exercise. In my case, it's hard to slack when you have the ever-present example of an Iron Dogger nearby. But many of us could use a little more time in our great outdoors--and when you live in the Great Land, there's no excuse.

Protecting good health is largely a matter of personal responsibility, but government policy can help. Our new Alaska Health Care Commission will recommend changes that affect the well-being of Alaskans far into the future.

$5,000 tax credit for families to buy their own coverage

PALIN: I am. He’s proposing a $5,000 tax credit for families so that they can get out there and they can purchase their own health care coverage. That’s budget neutral. That doesn’t cost the government anything as opposed to Barack Obama’s plan to mandate health care coverage and have a universal government-run program. McCain also wants to erase those artificial lines between states so that through competition, we can cross state lines and if there’s a better plan offered somewhere else, we would be able to purchase that. So affordability and accessibility will be the keys.

BIDEN: You know how John McCain pays for his $5,000 tax credit a family will get? He taxes as income every one of you who has a health care plan through your employer. You’re going to have to replace the plan you get through your employer--which averages $12,000--with a $5,000 check. I call that the “Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.”

FactCheck: Obama’s plan does not remove private insurance

FactCheck: McCain’s plan costs $14B/year; not budget-neutral

The McCain campaign hasn’t released an estimate of how much the plan would cost, but independent experts contradict Palin’s claim of a cost-free program.

The nonpartisan U.S. Budget Watch’s fiscal voter guide estimates that McCain’s tax credit would increase the deficit by somewhere between $288 billion to $364 billion by the year 2013, and that making employer health benefits taxable would bring in between $201 billion to $274 billion in revenue. That nets out to a shortfall of somewhere between $14 billion to $163 billion--for that year alone.

Signed up as organ donor; Alaska leads the states

“I am proud that so many residents recognize the life-giving benefits of organ and tissue donation,” Governor Palin said. “Their willingness to donate demonstrate the selfless and generous nature of Alaskans.“

April is National Donate Life Month. Every day in April, people across the U.S. make a special effort to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors. Life Alaska Donor Services is the tissue donation organization serving the State of Alaska, offering the option of donation to families who have suffered a death.

Health care must be market-and business-driven

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.

Take personal responsibility for personal health & all areas

Let’s reign in government growth so individual liberty and opportunity can expand. And let’s expect that every region contributes to our economy, to fulfill our promise to be a self-sufficient state made up of the hardest working, most grateful Americans in our nation.

Doctors should manage health care, not bureaucracies

Personal responsibility & choices key to good health

Flexibility in government regulations to allow competition

More affordable health care via competition