Less Than One-Fifth of Likely Voters Understand Health Care Proposals; Non-Partisan PresidentialRX.com Launches as Resource

Site highlights impact of presidential candidates’ health care proposals on average American citizens

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Just 19 percent of likely American voters state that they understand the presidential candidates’ proposals for the American health care system, according to poll results commissioned by PresidentialRX.com from Zogby International.

Launched today, PresidentialRX.com is a Web site designed and written for the average American voter to explain how each of the presidential candidates’ proposals will impact them.

“The average American wants to know how each candidate’s proposal for our health care system will help them access care more easily, save money and be certain they are receiving the highest quality care,” says David Osborn, Ph.D. and executive director of Nashville-based Health Care Solutions Group, which developed the site and is an affiliated institute of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“Unfortunately, candidates are not giving the specifics or spending the time needed to effectively explain their plans for an issue which consistently ranks at the top of voters’ minds – second only to Iraq and the economy overall. Because voters still have a lot of questions, we launched PresidentialRX.com and call on the candidates to be more open and transparent as the campaigns continue.”

PresidentialRX.com is built around four key questions on the minds of voters:

What is the status of the health care system?
Why is the health care debate critical for me?
Who are the candidates and what do they propose to do?
How can I get more information about health care and this election?
Answers to each of these questions are written with the average American voter in mind, including definitions of common – yet complex – health care terms linked directly to the content on the Web site. Summaries of each candidate’s plan reflect a comprehensive review of information made available to the public at the candidates’ Web sites, through speeches and in the media. Most unique to PresidentialRX.com, the summaries highlight how each plan would impact three core voting constituencies:

Insured individuals and families;
Non-insured individuals and families; and
Employers.
“Voters are the ones who will ultimately decide which proposal presents the best option for America. To help them, PresidentialRX.com and the Health Care Solutions Group will continue to call on the candidates to explain more while also making this site a fresh resource offering the information needed to make an informed decision throughout the primary season and on November 4th,” says Osborn.

Updated daily, PresidentialRX.com also offers:

A daily news feed regarding health care news from the campaign trail;
Updated poll results regarding American voters’ priorities, understanding and opinions regarding health care topics throughout the campaign;
Expanded info on the proposals, including video interviews;
An overview of the health care system today; and
Resources, including explanations of top health care terms.
As the candidate field narrows, PresidentialRX.com will engage candidates directly, continuing to call on them for more detail regarding their plans and what they mean for the average American citizen.

“Bringing this important information to the American people in a way that is understandable – not full of jargon or sensational – through an accessible Web site like PresidentialRX.com perfectly fulfills the mission of the Solutions Group to lead and support improvements to the US health care system,” says Harry Jacobson, M.D., Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at Vanderbilt University and Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Health Care Solutions Group.

The Health Care Solutions Group

The Health Care Solutions Group is a national non-partisan coalition of health care leaders, health policy experts, governmental leaders and stakeholders in the health care system from across the US. The Solutions Group Advisory Board members, Fellows and staff play a wide variety of roles in health care, offering a unique level of real-life experience in designing, delivering, paying for and managing health care organizations. The Group can be found on the Web at www.healthcaresolutionsgroup.net.