This side-by-side comparison of the candidates' positions on disability-related issues is based on information found on the candidates' Web sites, the candidates' Senatorial Web sites and supplemented by other sources. OLRS neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate for office. Information provided on this page is strictly for educational purposes only.
| Issue | McCain (R) | Obama (D) |
|---|---|---|
| Availability of disability-specific information on candidate's Web site | Disability-related information is found within some of the issue areas of the Web site, such as the Veterans and Health Care sections. See McCain/Palin Campaign Web site See also The McCain-Palin Commitment To Children With Special Needs See also the 2008 Republican Platform |
Disability-related information is found within the Disabilities section of the Web site. See Obama/Biden Campaign Web site See also Barack Obama's Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities See also the 2008 Democratic Platform |
| ADA Restoration Act | Supported | Supported |
| Appointment of federal judges | Will appoint judges who understand that their role is "to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat." He will look for candidates who respect the lawmaking powers of Congress, and the powers of the President. | Will appoint judges who respect laws designed to protect people with disabilities. States that "when you look at what makes a great Supreme Court justice, it's not just the particular issue and how they rule, but it's their conception of the Court. And part of the role of the Court is that it is going to protect people who may be vulnerable in the political process, the outsider, the minority, those who are vulnerable, those who don't have a lot of clout." |
| Assistive technology | Will ensure that all citizens can participate in the technology revolution. | Supports the Fostering Independence Through Technology Act. The Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct pilot projects for the purpose of providing incentives to home health agencies to utilize home monitoring and communications technology. |
| Autism | Will work to advance federal research into autism, to promote early screening, to identify better treatment options, and to provide support for children with autism. Was a co-sponsor of the Combating Autism Act. | Will appoint a federal Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) coordinator to oversee all federal ASD efforts, fully fund the Combating Autism Act and federal autism research initiatives, and support special needs education for children with ASD. States, in regard to universal screening, that he believes "we should screen all infants, and also that we must set a national goal to provide re-screening for all two-year-olds, the age at which some conditions, including ASD, begin to appear." |
| Community Choice Act | Does not support. Has stated that he "would support the program if it is financially sound and the federal government can afford it." | Supports (co-sponsor) |
| Community integration | No information available. | Will assure the rights affirmed in Olmstead v. L.C. Will amend the Medicare Homebound Rule. |
| Community Living Assistance, Services and Supports (CLASS) Act | Does not support | Supports (co-sponsor) |
| Early Intervention |
Will refocus the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act so that Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Information Centers must expand to parents with children ages 0-3. Will call for the Centers to provide access to better information for medical professionals about improvements in resources and the availability of assistance, in order to provide better information to parents. Will increase funding for states to improve services to families with infants and toddlers. Will focus federal resources on ensuring that the neediest children have access to a range of high quality programs. Will build Centers for Excellence in Head Start to lead to excellence in all of the pre-kindergarten and early learning programs that taxpayers support. Will require meaningful, measurable standards designed to determine that students are ready for school by measuring their school readiness skills. Will ensure that there are no federal prohibitions against preschool programs offering basic health care screenings to children in their care. |
Will invest $10 billion per year in early intervention and developmental programs for children zero thru five. Will expand Early Head Start, Early Learning Challenge Grants, and other early intervention programs. Supports universal screening. In addition to prenatal screening, wants to provide re-screening for all two-year-olds. |
| Employment | No disability-specific information available. Will establish a National Commission on Workplace Flexibility and Choice. |
Supports increased funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to enforce anti-discrimination laws. Will increase executive branch hiring of workers with disabilities. Will reinstate Executive Order 13173 (Interagency Task Force on the Economic Development) to achieve its mandate of hiring an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years. Will implement Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act (prohibits discrimination and requires employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that exceed $10,000 to take affirmative action to hire, retain and promote qualified individuals with disabilities). Will make changes for people with disabilities to more closely resemble Executive Order 11246 (affirmative action for people of color and women). Will provide private-sector employers with resources to accommodate employees with disabilities and encourage the private sector to use existing tax benefits to hire workers with disabilities. Will establish a National Commission on People with Disabilities, Employment and Social Security Commission. Will support small businesses owned by people with disabilities by amending the Small Business Act. Will expand the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), encourage states to adopt paid leave, mandate a reasonable amount of paid sick leave and provide protections against caregiver discrimination. |
| Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (HR 493) Prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. Signed into law May 2008. |
Did not vote | Co-sponsor Did not vote |
| Health Care | Stated goal: Provide access to affordable health care for all by paying only for quality health care, having insurance choices that are diverse and responsive to individual needs and encouraging personal responsibility. Highlights of plan: Remove the favorable tax treatment of employer-sponsored insurance and provide a tax credit to individuals and families to increase incentives for insurance coverage. Promote insurance competition. Contain costs through payment changes to providers, tort reform and other measures. Work with states to create a federally-supported Guaranteed Access Plan for people who are denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Opposes mandatory coverage. |
Stated goal: Affordable and high-quality universal coverage through a mix of private and expanded public insurance. Highlights of plan: Require all children to have health insurance. Require employers to offer employee health benefits or contribute to the cost of the new public program. Create a new public plan. Expand Medicaid and SCHIP. Create the National Health Insurance Exchange through which small businesses and individuals without access to other public programs or employer-based coverage could enroll in the new public plan or in approved private plans. Prohibit insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Ensure that people with disabilities who lose their Medicare or Medicaid eligibility by taking a job, but still cannot afford coverage, will be provided a subsidy in order to purchase coverage. Mental health provisions are included in health care plan (see Mental Health). |
| Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 Section of the Act ensures equal college opportunities for students with disabilities. Passed into law 8/08. |
Did not vote | Co-sponsor Did not vote |
| Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (HR 6331) Amended the Social Security Act to extend expiring provisions under the Medicare Program, to improve beneficiary access to preventive and mental health services, to enhance low-income benefit programs, and to maintain access to care in rural areas, including pharmacy access. Passed into law 7/08. |
Did not vote | Did not vote |
| Medicaid/Medicare votes | 2008 Medicare Bill - did not vote Cloture for 2008 Medicare Bill - did not vote 2008 amendment to halt cuts - did not vote |
2008 Medicare Bill - did not vote Cloture for 2008 Medicare Bill - supported 2008 amendment to halt cuts - supported |
| Mental Health | Proposes designing a health care reimbursement system for taking care of the whole patient, whether it's a physical or mental health problem. Supports mental health parity. Opposes the MOTHERS Act (a bill that calls for mental health screening and treatment of pregnant women and women who have recently given birth). Opposed the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. |
Mental health provisions included in his health care plan. Supports mental health parity (co-sponsor). Co-sponsor of the MOTHERS Act (a bill that calls for mental health screening and treatment of pregnant women and women who have recently given birth). Supported the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. Supports mandatory mental health screenings of all military personnel and will work to improve mental health care for veterans at every stage of military service. Supports and would expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers. (The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families. Its purpose is to identify issues for early detection and treatment of mental health problems.) Supports providing opportunities for homes and jobs for individuals living with mental illness. Supports ending inappropriate incarceration of individuals with mental illness. |
| Permanent post dedicated to disability policy (the idea of having one) | States that vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will fill that role. | Supports the idea of an "assistant to the president on disability policy." |
| Post-secondary education | Will modernize the Vocational Rehabilitation Act to improve services to students with disabilities in high schools and community colleges. | Will authorize a comprehensive study of students with disabilities and transition to work and higher education. Will create an American Opportunity Tax Credit that will ensure the first $4,000 of college is free for those eligible and will cover two-thirds of the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. |
| Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (also referred to as the Brownback-Kennedy Bill) A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to increase the provision of scientifically sound information and support services to patients receiving a positive test diagnosis for Down syndrome or other prenatally and postnatally diagnosed conditions. |
Supported | Supported |
| Prescription drugs | Voted to allow the federal government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for discounts on prescription drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Voted to allow importation of less expensive prescription drugs. |
Voted to allow the federal government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies for discounts on prescription drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Voted to allow importation of less expensive prescription drugs. |
| Social Security | Will fight to save the future of Social Security. Believes that obligations to the retirees of today and the future can be achieved without raising taxes. Supports supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts. |
Will ensure that the Social Security Administration has the funding it needs to hire judges and staff. Will invest in technology to expedite final decisions and more effectively process its caseloads. Will work to strengthen Social Security and prevent privatization while protecting middle class families from tax increases or benefit cuts. |
| Special education (prospective positions) | Will support fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). Will allow states to develop programs that allow parents to choose public or private schools, with federal funding following the child. |
Will support fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) Will ensure effective implementation and enforcement of IDEA. Will support special education for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. |
| Veterans | Will implement a comprehensive plan for providing high-quality, timely health care for our veterans. Will ensure that the promises of the Wounded Warrior Act are fulfilled, including the establishment of a Wounded Warrior Resource Center. Will ensure that the veterans' disability claims process is improved. Will work toward equal treatment of veterans with disabilities within the retirement system and simplify the Department of Defense disability retirement system. Will put additional emphasis on restorative care, such as the provision of treatment, rehabilitation and training. |
Will fully fund VA medical care. Will improve mental health care at every stage of military service. Will expand the number of speciality centers, such as for post-traumatic stress disorder. Will ensure that the veterans' disability claims process is improved. Will invest in specialty care for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, women's health and other specialized rehabilitative care. |
| Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 (S 1315) Enhances veterans' insurance and housing benefits, and improves benefits and services for transitioning service members. |
Supported Did not vote |
Supported Did not vote |
| Vocational rehabilitation | Will modernize the Vocational Rehabilitation Act to improve services to students with disabilities in high schools and community colleges. Will require states to demonstrate proven outcomes for students with disabilities that lead to gainful employment when they graduate. |
Supports vocational rehabilitation programs. Will assure sufficient funding for people with disabilities to go to college and beyond. |
| Voting | No disability-specific information available. | Supports fully funding the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Will assure better enforcement of federal disability rights laws (HAVA, Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, Americans with Disabilities Act) in regard to voter rights. Opposes voter ID laws. |
The following are the sources used to compile the comparison chart.