Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

By Sarah Green

KHI News Service



TOPEKA, Feb. 4 Carlos Mayans, a former Wichita mayor and legislator, says he"ll be voting for Mitt Romney when Kansas Republicans hold their presidential primary caucuses on Saturday.



It"s not so much the details of Romney"s health reform plan that attracts Mayans to the candidate who as governor of Massachussetts oversaw enactment of one of the nation"s most far-reaching state health reforms. It is Romney"s successful track record as a businessman.



Mayans, like many Republicans, believes the solution to the nation"s problems with health care is the introduction of more competition and other "free-market" cures.



"I think Mr. Romney, also having a background in the business sector, understands that this is a market initiative that needs to happen," Mayans said.



Various analyses and comparisons of the GOP presidential candidates" health plans reveal they have much in common. Plans put forth by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Romney all avoid expanding government programs and instead rely heavily on ideas long invoked by Republican officeholders in Kansas and nationally, including President Bush whose reform proposals were centered on health savings accounts and tax breaks.



The comparisons show that McCain"s reform plan is more detailed and broader in scope than Romney"s or Huckabee"s. All three call for tax credits and deductions to help people buy private health insurance. And all favor broader use of health savings accounts. But McCain also proposes allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, which he contends would bring more competition to the market and other individuals more choices. McCain also puts more emphasis on prevention and health information technology.



State Rep. Pat Colloton, R-Leawood, is the 3rd District chairwoman for the McCain campaign in Kansas.



She said many of the reforms promoted by her candidate are also included in the 21-point health reform package prepared by the Kansas Health Policy Authority and now being considered by her and her colleagues in the Legislature.



"Prevention, transparency and data-keeping to show health outcomes are essential to making health care both affordable and accessible," Colloton said. "Like the (health policy authority), the McCain view is that we have to revise current payments to providers because Medicaid is not sufficient, and in some cases, Medicare is not sufficient to make care accessible."



But the similarities in the health plans put forth by this year"s GOP candidates are so great, it is unlikely that many primary voters will cast their votes based on the candidates" reform plans.



Here are some other specifics upon which the GOP candidates generally agree:

* Federal tax and other incentives should be created to encourage families and individuals buy their own insurance from private companies;

* States should be given flexibility to use federal funding for their own health programs, essentially becoming "laboratories" for reform. Romney, for example, favors federal block grants to states, giving each broad latitude in how it spends health dollars for low-income, uninsured residents.

* Contain costs by reforming medical liability laws and using Health Information Technology to make the delivery of health care more efficient.



Republican Caucus Information



The Kansas caucuses will take place Saturday, Feb. 9. Participants must be registered as a Republican by Jan. 25, 2008 and provide a photo ID at the caucus site. Click here for a list of locations.



There are seven Republican presidential candidates on the ballot, said Corrie Kangas of the Kansas Republican Party. But only two or three are considered serious contenders.



Included on the ballot are:

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has dropped out of the race.

* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee

* Alan Keyes, a former assistant secretary of state and frequent presidential candidate.

* McCain

* U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas

* Romney

* Former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, who also has dropped from the race.



-Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at sgreen@khi.org or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.