Obama strategies - President Barack Obama’s National Health Care Agenda

1. National “play or pay” employer mandate requiring businesses either to offer workers insurance or to pay a tax (very small businesses to be exempt)

2. Creation of a new national health plan (similar to Medicare) for the uninsured and small businesses

3. Establishment of a new national health insurance exchange that would offer choice of private insurance options for the uninsured and small businesses

4. National mandate that children must have coverage

5. National subsidies for lower-income Americans to help them afford coverage

6. Expanded coverage financed through the payroll tax, letting tax cuts for families making over $250,000 expire, and savings from electronic medical records, disease management, prevention, and other system reforms

7. National regulation of all private insurance plans to end risk rating based on health status

8. National establishment of federal reinsurance programs to insure businesses against cots of workers’ expensive medical episodes

9. Reduction in administrative costs of private insurance

10. National accelerated adoption of medical records

11. Promotion of disease management

12. Emphasis on prevention and public health

13. Payment of providers based on performance and outcomes

14. Reduction of excessive payments to private plans contracting with Medicare

15. Allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies

16. Establishment of a national comparative effectiveness research institute