health insurance equivalent

At about 6:00 p.m. Sen. Sherrod Brown took the stage with a panel to respond to videtaped questions from ordinary working Americans. The panel consisted of Ned Helms, Director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice; Lisa Olivares, a first-time Nebraska delegate who works for a community health center; Dr. Laura Tyson, former Chief Economic Policy Advisor to Bill Clinton; and John Schnur, former Senior Education Advisor to Vice President Al Gore.

In response to a question about education, Sen. Brown pointed out that his wife Connie Schultz was the first person in her family to go to college, and she was able to do so with the help of Pell Grants and other government aid, which the Democratic-led Congress has increased.

On health care benefits, the panel hammered the point that John McCain wants to end tax credits for employers to provide health insurance, and contrasted Obama's plan which would allow people to keep the insurance they have but if they are uninsured or underinsured provides the opportunity to obtain health insurance equivalent to that of federal employees.