Candidate Updates

I'm going to be honest here, I really only plan on blogging about the candidates who I personally think are viable.

For the Democrats:

• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Barack Obama
• John Edwards

For the Republicans:

• Rudy Giuliani
• Mitt Romney
• Tommy Thompson (not really because I think he's viable, but because his whole platform is basically about health care ... at least, so you'd think from the coverage)
• Fred Thompson (again, not really because I think he's viable. I just really love Law & Order)

That said, here are some updates on their stances on health care:

• "Bearing scars, Clinton cautious on universal plan," McClatchy. Clinton's being a bit vague on her health care proposal to avoid comparisons to her last plan, while playing up her health care "scars." Smart move.
  
• "Edwards to Detail Health Care Plan," Associated Press. I personally thought he had already detailed it enough, but apparently he did it again today in Michigan. Also, he's added proposals to end patents on breakthrough drugs and require insurance companies to spend 85% of premiums on patients care.
• Gialiani has a 12 Step program for the country, one of which is increasing access to health care: "Giuliani Offers Up 12 Steps to a Better Future," Washington Post. "Rudy's Plan for the U.S.: 12 Promises to Keep if he Becomes Prez," New York Post.
  

Side note on party differences from the article on Clinton:

Democrats describe the escalating cost of health insurance and the rising number of uninsured Americans as "a crisis." All say they want universal coverage.

Republicans rarely mention health care, except when asked about it. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona don't list health care in the "issues" section of their campaign websites. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney rarely talks about his successful effort to make health insurance mandatory for Massachusetts residents.