Steve Beshear unveils jobs and education plan, Fletcher follows with health care agenda.

Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, Steve Beshear, has unveiled his "jobs and education" plan for Kentucky.

Gov. Fletcher has followed and released his "health care" agenda for the 2008 legislative session.

Any thoughts?

Update: Beyond SHAMEFUL!

Update: Steve Beshear responds to Fletcher's release of "health care" legislative agenda with this release:

Steve Beshear On Ernie Fletcher's Release of Health Care Plan

Frankfort, KY (August 29, 2007) - In Ernie Fletcher’s latest attempt to use the Governor's Office for campaign purposes, today he released his 2008 legislative agenda for health care – a full four months before the legislative session is scheduled to begin.

His release contains no details on the cost or impact that his proposed legislation will have on reducing the cost of health care for our businesses and individuals or expanding health care coverage to more Kentuckians. These are two key issues that need to be addressed if we are going to make any progress on reforming our health care system.

Under Fletcher’s watch the cost of health care insurance continues to increase and more than 550,000 Kentuckians, 81,000 of which are children, are without health insurance coverage today.
Since Fletcher's took office, Kentucky families are paying more for their health insurance premiums – as much as 23% more. Unless action is taken to control rising costs, health insurance premiums will continue to go up and could double during his tenure.

Simply helping businesses pay a portion of their premiums does not go far enough. Measures need to be put in place to control the cost of health care coverage across the board to give all Kentucky families the financial relief they deserve.
On August 7, 2007, Steve Beshear, Democratic nominee for Governor released his comprehensive health care plan to make quality, affordable health care coverage available to all Kentuckians called, "Keeping Kentuckians Healthy." The plan, available online at www.SteveBeshear.com, provides a detailed roadmap to control the runaway costs of health care with a goal of providing affordable coverage to everyone.

Beshear’s plan begins by proposing a plan to cover all children. His plan ensures that every eligible child is enrolled in the state's Medicaid program or the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP). Second, it allows low-income families to buy into KCHIP with sliding scale premiums based on income. It also permits every Kentucky family to buy KCHIP coverage at full price so that all Kentuckians can find affordable coverage on the individual market.

"This plan speaks directly to the more than 550,000 Kentuckians with no health coverage at all and businesses and individuals who have coverage by fear of losing it each and every day due to ever-rising costs," said Beshear. "Every parent knows that when a child is sick, you want nothing more than to get them the medical attention they need right away. That is why, as Governor, I will take the first step toward providing affordable, quality health care coverage to every Kentuckian starting with covering every child in this state."

Furthermore, Beshear's "Keeping Kentuckians Healthy" plan allows dependants up to age 25 to remain on their parents' plans. "Keeping more young, healthy Kentuckians in the insurance pool will lower costs for all Kentuckians," Beshear explained.
The plan also ensures that more small businesses and their employees can afford coverage through a range of promising policy options used by other states that he will consider implementing in Kentucky, as Governor.
"It is also critical that we strengthen the Medicaid safety net, especially for those living in rural areas," Beshear added. "As Governor, I will increase outreach to those eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled, and consider increasing provider reimbursement rates to expand access."

The "Keeping Kentuckians Healthy" plan also focuses on the outlandish cost of prescription drugs, particularly for elderly Kentuckians. "Unfortunately, Medicare Part D does not take care of 100% of the cost of all prescription drugs and when a senior reaches their plan’s financial limit they a forced to pay the full cost of their medications out of their own pocket until they reach the next threshold and their plan kicks back in. It is known as the coverage gap," Beshear said. "Many seniors must make decisions each day whether to pay for food or for the medication they desperately need. This must change."

In 2005, Beshear's running mate, Dr. Daniel Mongiardo co-sponsored legislation that created the "Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program" to help seniors in this coverage gap. The bill passed, but funds were never provided to assist senior citizens with this critical assistance. "I will provide the leadership to fund this program so eligible senior citizens get the prescription drugs they need without draining their bank accounts," Beshear added.
Beshear's health care plan calls for the development of a Prescription Drug Pricing Website that will allow consumers to find the best possible prices for their medications. It also proposes ways Kentucky can save millions of dollars each year by slowing the growth of prescription drug spending, including implementing e-prescribing, promoting evidence-based drug purchasing and expanding access to discounted drugs.
"Another area long championed by my running mate is patient safety," said Beshear. "Dr. Mongiardo and I will create an Academy for Health Care Improvement and Cost Reduction" to reduce medical errors, improve patient care and reduce health care costs."

Finally, a critical part of the Beshear health care plan is reducing the cost of care for all by promoting preventive care. Kentucky has some of the worst rates of obesity and smoking in the country which can lead to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. As Governor, Beshear will establish a Business Roundtable for prevention, partnering with leaders across the state to promote worksite wellness. Further, he will promote healthier communities by promoting walking paths and smoking cessation measures and create innovative preventative care centers.
"Providing coverage to every Kentuckian is not only the right thing to do morally, it is also necessary to make our workforce the most productive and our businesses the most competitive in the country," Beshear explained. "We need real leadership with detailed plans to make this happen. That's precisely what I offer you."

Any thoughts?