To the Point

Presidential Politics and Healthcare

Despite the growth of -managed healthcare,- America-s medical costs nearly doubled between 1990 and 2000. Medical costs and insurance premiums are so high that 71 percent of Americans are afraid they can-t afford the medical treatment they might need. Polls show that healthcare is the number one issue on the minds of voters in New Hampshire, just as it was in Iowa. Is it time for a government-run -single-payer- plan? What about an unfettered free market? Is major reform in the near future likely, or are insurance companies and HMO-s here to stay? In the last hours before the New Hampshire primary, with Democratic candidates focused on the war in Iraq and each other, what about the number one issue in the minds of the voters? We speak with healthcare advocates, insurance executives, researchers and Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott. Making News: On the Eve of the New Hampshire Primaries New Hampshire voters now know that John Kerry can skate and Wesley Clark can bag groceries. Tomorrow, Democrats and Independents will finally decide on their choice as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. Andrew Cline, Editorial Page editor for the Manchester Union Leader, New Hampshire-s largest newspaper, found that a surprising number of voters are still undecided. Reporter's Notebook: Bird Flu Epidemic Spreads Across Asia Because Prime Minister Shinawatra wanted to avoid causing panic, his government initially kept quiet about its suspicion of an Avian Flu outbreak. But Thailand is Asia-s largest poultry exporter, with markets in Japan and Europe, and the World Health Organization is concerned about a serious human outbreak. Spokesman Dick Thompson has more on the risk of human infection and WHO's efforts to contain the disease.