don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

A national initiative called "ScienceDebate2008" led to the formulation of 14 questions for the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to address about scientific challenges in the coming years. So far, only the Democratic challenger has outlined his plans for addressing these critical issues facing the nation. In a news release, Shawn Otto, CEO of the initiative, said: "We're pleased that Senator Obama has provided voters with that substantive plan, and we're hoping for similarly thoughtful responses from Senator McCain." The organizers are also seeking a science-focused debate devoted entirely to these 14 topics. This forum has not yet been set, though both candidates expressed an interest in participating.

The 14 questions deal with the candidates energy policies and priorities in the areas of innovation, national security, economics in a science-driven global economy, climate change, education, health, ocean protection, biosecurity, clean water, space, stem cells, scientific integrity, genetics and research.

A remarkably democratic process was used to shape these questions, involving an assessment of 3,400 suggested queries sent to "ScienceDebate2008" by approximately 38,000 signers of the science initiative (myself included). Polls showed that 85% of voters expressed a desire to learn how the candidates viewed these challenges.

Senator Obama's responses contain more detail than can be cited here, but you can read his answers at the "ScienceDebate2008" website. Only highlights of his positions on health are noted below -- for the full account, visit the website. Senator McCain's campaign has promised that responses will be forthcoming. When received, they will also be highlighted here.

How would an Obama Administration address science, research and technology to improve America's health and quality of life? Paraphrased for the most part and outlined (the lengthy first part summarizing the problems is omitted), here are highlights of the Obama response.

"The system is broken...America's health care system works better for insurance and drug companies than it does for average Americans... My plan makes health care more secure and affordable by strengthening employer-based coverage, protecting patients' ability to choose their own doctors, and saving families $2,500 dollars by requiring insurance companies to cover prevention and limiting excessive insurance company charges. My plan covers everybody by requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, providing tax credits to small businesses and working families, and covering all uninsured children."

"These are difficult problems, and science and technology can solve only some of them. The effectiveness of medical care can be improved, and its costs can be reduced, by greater emphasis on best practices, electronic medical records, hospital safety, preventive strategies, and improved public health surveillance. The increased investments I support for medical research at the NIH may yield discoveries that reduce the cost of drug development, and we may produce new methods to prevent diseases that are costly to treat. But efforts to control costs also should make greater use of the tools for prevention and clinical management that already exist; enlist more effective participation of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the NIH; and encourage investments in healthcare and health research by the private and not-for-profit sectors."

"Overall, I am committed to three major tasks that will be necessary to confront widespread concerns about the nation's health: provision of healthcare plans to all of our citizens; comprehensive efforts to make our health care system more cost-efficient; and continued biomedical research to understand diseases more thoroughly and find better ways to prevent and treat them."

As noted, the candidate's responses to each of the 14 questions is longer than the average essay at this site, so do visit the site of the "ScienceDebate2008" and consider the substance of responses to all the questions, not just this one.

Be well. Look on the bright side of Americas' future for the next four years. Whoever is elected, the leadership can't possibly be worse than it has been the last eight years.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MEANING DOMAIN under the skill area of applied wellness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

 Send e-mail to Don Ardell