After meeting with a family at their home in Fairfax, Virginia, the President holds a discussion on the economy with families from the area.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) August 28, 2008

HealthCare.com, Inc. (http://www.healthcare.com), the leader in local healthcare provider search, announced today the launch of “HealthDecision ’08: Obama and McCain on Health Care” (http://decision.healthcare.com/obama-mccain/), an interactive voting guide for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. HealthDecision ’08 by HealthCare.com is an initiative to inform, educate and deploy the power of the web to gather public opinion on the health care proposals put forth by Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. HealthDecision ’08 provides a side-by-side comparison of Obama’s and McCain’s healthcare positions and proposals, along with interactive voting tools that enable users to vote for their preferred health care plan and offer their own comments after weighing through the issues.

“With health care remaining a fundamental issue in this historic 2008 election, HealthCare.com is leveraging its growing traffic base to put health care issues in the forefront of public opinion,” said Howard Yeh, VP of Corporate Development at HealthCare.com. “We are excited to take a leadership position in presenting the issues, analyzing the respective platforms of Barack Obama and John McCain, and enabling our users to voice opinions through their words and through their actions.”

The features of HealthDecision ’08 include:

    Side-by-Side Position Comparison: Point-by-point comparison of the Obama and McCain health care proposals
    Vote for a Health Plan: Online voting that enables informed voters to choose between Obama and McCain on health care
    Comments: Platform for users to comment and ask questions related to each respective health care proposal
    Five Questions: A five-question questionnaire assisting undecided voters decide upon a particular health care plan based on their responses
    Videos: Videos showing both candidates speaking on the topic of health care reform
    Multimedia Resources: Third-party multimedia content from leading health care initiatives such as Health08.org (sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation) and The HealthCentral Network

“With HealthDecision ’08, HealthCare.com has presented the most systematic comparison of the Obama and McCain health care platforms on the web,” said noted e-health pioneer and health care industry expert, Michael G. Ryan, MBA, FACHE. “With my formal academic training in political science/health care management and 30+ years of studying, working, advising, and observing the U.S. health care system, this robust health policy summary on HealthDecision ’08 provides participants with an interactive ‘insiders playbook’ on the candidates’ health care platforms in a succinct and concise manner.” A former White House intern, Mike Ryan has over 25 years of leadership experience and expertise in e-health, technology and management, including previous CEO positions of several large-scale health systems. He is currently the Chairman of Executive Impact Group (http://www.execimpactgroup.com), an executive advisory firm that serves healthcare, biotech and technology companies worldwide.

HealthDecision ’08 by HealthCare.com will be open for voting through November 4, 2008.

For websites (blogs, newspapers, health sites, etc.) wishing to display HealthDecision ’08′s real-time results, please contact HealthCare.com using the information provided below.

HealthDecision’08 can be accessed at http://decision.healthcare.com/obama-mccain/

About HealthCare.com, Inc.

HealthCare.com, with its flagship web property at http://www.healthcare.com, features Care Provider Search™, the web’s leading healthcare provider directory connecting health consumers with healthcare professionals and healthcare-related businesses. In addition to operating a leading online health website, HealthCare.com has syndicated Care Provider Search™ to leading newspaper websites, local media and health portals, allowing its partners’ audiences to engage with local health providers. Syndication partners include MedHelp, AOL Health, Everyday Health, dLife, drugstore.com, The Miami Herald and The Olympian. For health professionals, HealthCare.com offers free profile pages, free email service, a blogging platform, and a health care jobs search engine. For health consumers, HealthCare.com offers informational content through a health portal, health content search, medication search, and health insurance search. For additional information, please visit http://www.healthcare.com.

###

In the speech, posted on YouTube, Obama reaffirmed his positive intentions, stating that there are few challenges facing the world today that are more pressing than tackling climate change.

Obama said, ‘Climate change and our dependence on foreign oil, if left unaddressed, will continue to weaken our economy and threaten our national security.

‘My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership in climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process,’ he added.

In the speech, he reiterated his pre-election plan to invest $150bn over the next ten years to catalyse private efforts to build a clean energy future, and the need to implement clear steps to propel the US to a leading position in terms of new energy resources.

His pledges included establishing annual targets to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them by an additional 80 per cent by 2050.

‘We will invest in solar power, wind power and next generation biofuels. We will tap nuclear power while making sure it is safe and we will develop clean coal technologies,’ he said in the speech.

For decades, the US has been the world’s largest petroleum consumer. However, a recent report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that 58 per cent of all petroleum consumed by the US in 2007 was imported. The long-term implications of this situation were something that Obama appears keen to address. The proposed $150bn investment into homeland energy sources would seem to reflect this commitment.

Obama continued, ‘This investment will not only help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, making the US more secure, and will not only help us bring about a clean energy future saving the planet, but it also will help us transform our industries and steer our country out of this economic crisis by generating five million new green jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced.’

Obama also plans to introduce the Cap and Trade Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which seeks to reduce carbon emissions by the recommended 80 per cent below 1990 levels, by 2050. Through this programme, all pollution credits will be auctioned with approximately $15bn of revenue per year going towards the development of clean energy. In a bid to limit dependency on foreign resources, this $15bn will be reinvested into domestic basic research, technology demonstration and aggressive commercial deployment and clean market creation.

Such a massive commitment would surely pave the way for new investment and future innovation as both industries and individuals clamour to meet this target.

The recent volatility in the price of oil and ensuing record highs have thrust the theme of alternative energy firmly to the fore, with investors paying increasing attention to the sector. In terms of venture capital alone, private investment in the renewable energy space topped $2.6bn in 2007.

The overriding theme in the industry is that the change of leadership will be a positive force.

Jim Pettit of clean energy-focused private equity firm Navitas Capital, believes that despite the financial crisis sweeping the globe, Obama will still play a pivotal role in the expansion of renewable energy. ‘While President-elect Barack Obama is poised to inherit a ton of problems across every dimension of his presidency, we look for the Obama administration to become a strong advocate for a wide array of clean technologies.

‘As a result of policy at the federal level, we believe that Obama sees an enormous opportunity to simultaneously stimulate the economy and improve the environment for future generations,’ he added.

Obama’s policies, however, do raise the question as to whether a critical change can really be implemented and whether the legacy of the past eight years of a Bush presidency can be significantly altered.

Amidst a flurry of economic woes, some have argued that it would be a mistake to place climate change at the top of the agenda in a time of financial difficulty and instability. However, many in the industry feel that the economic downturn will have little long-term effect on renewable energy and clean technologies, reinforcing the profile of this sector as a long-term prospect.

Another challenge facing Obama is that the US must acknowledge that it requires the support of emerging countries such as India and China if it is to make a significant dent in the global carbon footprint.

The Kyoto Protocol calls for developed countries to slash their emissions by five per cent by 2012, yet scientific research suggests that emissions requires an 80 per cent reduction by then if climate change is to be significantly tackled. With even Kyoto’s requirements looking a daunting prospect, Obama faces a stern challenge.

Indeed, Obama himself recognises that the US alone cannot solve this pressing concern. While he acknowledged that it was time for the US to set the precedent, he added that countries such as China and Brazil would have to follow suit with their own binding commitments. To that end, Obama, alongside Vice President-elect Joe Biden, has pledged to re-engage with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and bring all the major emitting nations together to develop effective emissions reductions efforts.

With the US known for its unashamedly consumer lifestyle, Obama understands only too well how crucial it is to tackle the issue of energy consumption if the new administration is to show a deep commitment to change. To this end, fuel economy standards are set to increase by four per cent each year while one million hybrid cars are expected on the road by 2015.

The next president expects ten per cent of all electricity to be derived from renewable sources by 2012. With Barack Obama yet to step into the White House, we can only speculate whether his goals will be realised. It remains to be seen whether the US can lead the way in the world’s efforts to tackle climate change.

Copyright © 2009 newnet

2. Prioritize Agenda
With so many important items on the agency, it is hard not to get caught up in too many things at once. History has shown us that problems ignored usually get a lot worse, and end up at the top of the list eventually any ways. Prioritizing his agenda early can save Obama both time and money and focus on getting the job done right the first time.

3. Improve Congressional Relationships
The relationship between legislative and executive branches has been negative for too long. If we could make this relationship more open and less attacking perhaps they might come to more well rounded, honest decisions. It is hard to get any bill passed into law with an unhappy congress, so keeping the relationships friendly and professional will benefit the country as a whole.

4. Reduce Outsourcing
With the tough economy, more and more companies are looking to outsource their manufacturing. However, the problem is that doing so can make the economy even worse. While it may be cheaper for a company to outsource, it gives valuable jobs to other countries. If the government could give these companies some incentive to produce their goods at home it would create more American jobs, and benefit the whole economy.

5. New Energy Policies
Obama needs to come up with a clear and concise energy policy that addresses foreign oil dependency as well as all of our individual dependency on oil. Exploring, funding, and distributing alternative energy will save the country billions in the long run and can create “green collar” jobs in the meantime.

6. Promote Innovations
By funding and rewarding technological and medical innovation and discovery, we can increase our countries competitiveness in the global market. These new discoveries will provide a service to all Americans who benefits from them, and by developing ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil we can stop sending so much of our money to foreign producers.

7. Market Regulation
By closely monitoring trading activity and spending, we can help prevent market manipulation and hopefully prevent another mess like the one we are in now. Barack Obama was quoted as saying, “the American economy does not stand still, and neither should the rules that govern it. Old institutions cannot adequately oversee new practices. Old rules may not fit the roads where our economy is leading.”

Does Obama have any proposals that will actually benefit the US economy long-term?

Note: This question is about Obama. Not Bush. Not McCain.