Groups announce forums on healthcare

Three nonpartisan groups this morning announced a series of presidential forums designed to keep healthcare front and center in the presidential campaign.

Organizers said all the major candidates have been invited and most have agreed to take part, except for Democrat Barack Obama, who is only attending forums and debates that are sanctioned by the Democratic Party.

Families USA and the Federation of American Hospitals, which have been on opposite sides of the issue, are sponsoring the forums, along with the Kaiser Family Foundation. They are scheduled for an hour each and will focus on coverage, cost, and quality.

While the candidates will appear separately, they will delve far more deeply into the issue than in typical debates. In a conference call with reporters, Matt James, a senior vice president at Kaiser, called it "a way to elevate the healthcare debate in presidential campaign."

Polls show that healthcare is atop the list of domestic issues for voters. In a CBS News poll released this week, 76 percent said that many Americans don't have health insurance is a very serious problem, 66 percent said they were dissatisfied with the quality of healthcare, and 81 percent dissatisfied with the cost.

Hillary Clinton, who failed at healthcare reform while First Lady in 1993 and 1994, unveiled her universal coverage plan this week. She and the other leading Democrats generally want to extend coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans with a mix of public and private insurance plans. The leading Republicans, in general, are offering less sweeping proposals that rely more on the private market.

Democrat John Edwards is scheduled to be first up, on Monday. Clinton is next, likely on Oct. 4, followed by Democrats Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich on Oct. 25, Republican John McCain on Oct. 31, and Democrat Chris Dodd on Nov. 1. Other leading candidates have not confirmed dates.

The candidates will make opening statements, then take questions from a panel of journalists. The forums will be webcast live.