Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum: A Cancer Survivor's Guide to the Presidential Candidates

Bringing the importance of a national cancer policy to the forefront of the 2008 presidential race, the Lance Armstrong Foundation is hosting the first ever Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum. The cancer forum, which takes place today and tomorrow, not only allows the voters to understand the candidates' position on national cancer policy and national health care in general, it also highlights the significant voting power of the 10,000,000 cancer survivors in the United States.

With a margin of just 3,000,000 votes in the 2004 presidential election, and an even closer 2000 election, the Lance Armstrong Foundation is opening the door for a united voice of cancer survivors to be heard in potentially the most powerful way in history.

With an increasing number of political forums, why is it so important to have yet another forum focused on just one issue? Here are a few points to consider:

• According to the American Cancer Society, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
• Health care is a significantly political issue. Everything from the majority of research to pharmaceutical drug approval is government funded.
• Cancer survival outcomes are ethnically and racially disparate and often linked to a lack of accessible health care.
• More than 45 million Americans do not have health insurance.
• According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 51% of Americans are dissatisfied with their health care.
• The United States spends more money per capita on health care than other developed nations; however, the survival outcomes are often better in other countries.

Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, and Dennis Kucinich square off on Monday August 27th. Republicans Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee face off Tuesday, August 28th. Breast Cancer advocate Tommy Thompson was also scheduled to appear; however, he has since withdrawn from the presidential race. Both events will air at 10:00 CST on MSNBC. Before you get your scorecards ready, here is brief overview of each participant and their current position on health care in the US.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton -- Former First Lady and the current Senator from New York, Clinton includes affordable and accessible health care among her top ten campaign issues. As the premiere First Lady to be involved with policy issues, Senator Clinton is a long time supporter of quality health care initiatives. Her current health care agenda includes proposals that target reducing costs, reducing ethnic and racial disparities, focusing on quality care, and empowering providers ad patients to improve service delivery.

John Edwards - Former Senator from North Carolina and nominee for Vice President in 2004, John Edwards is no stranger to cancer as he and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, continue to fight a very public battle with metastatic breast cancer. Founder of the One America Committee, Edwards also considers health care among his top ten campaign issues. Lauded as proposing the most comprehensive plan for health care, Edwards' plan for universal health care will take on insurance companies, cover every man, woman, and child, and provide better care at lower costs.