The last issue of Skyline News (August 7, 2000) included a report on the Republican platform adopted in Philadelphia. Last week in Los Angeles, the Democratic party approved its platform, entitled "The 2000 Democratic National Platform: Prosperity, Progress, and Peace." Like the GOP document, the Democratic platform addresses a number of health care issues.

The Uninsured: The platform states, "We reaffirm our commitment to take concrete, specific, realistic steps to move toward the day when every American has affordable health coverage. And we will not rest until the job is done." The Democrats' "step-by-step" approach includes expanding the States' Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) to ensure that every child has health insurance by 2004, expanding S-CHIP to include parents, expanding Medicaid to help families make the transition from welfare to work, providing health insurance for dislocated workers, creating a Medicare "buy-in" option for uninsured adults aged 55-65, and making health care "accessible and affordable for small businesses."

Medicare: The platform calls for providing a new outpatient prescription drug benefit, placing Medicare surpluses in a "Medicare Lock Box that would insure Medicare surpluses are used for Medicare -- and not for pork barrel spending or tax giveaways," and modernizing Medicare by promoting "competitive prices" and remaining vigilant against Medicare fraud. With regard to "eldercare," the platform endorses creating a $3,000 tax credit for Americans with long-term care needs and their caregivers; holding those who care for our nation's elderly to high standards; improving the wages, benefits, training, and working conditions of long-term caregivers; and providing respite care.

HMO Reform: The platform calls for "a real, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights with the right to see a specialist, the right to appeal decisions to an outside board, guaranteed coverage of emergency room care, and the right to sue when . . . unfairly denied coverage." The platform also commits presidential nominee Vice President Al Gore to "working with a wide range of stakeholders to develop a national strategy to reduce medical errors, including appropriate public reporting, analysis of root causes, and development of error prevention models"; devoting more resources to eliminating disease disparities among racial and ethnic groups; speeding the approval of new drugs; continuing and strengthening research, prevention, care, and treatment of HIV and AIDS; doubling funding for Federal cancer research; doubling efforts to prevent teen smoking; strengthening the community mental health system; providing access to "full mental health coverage" for every child in America; ensuring that mental illness and physical illness are treated equally by health plans; and making personal assistance services available to people with disabilities in their homes and communities.