Clinton on health care

[Army_of_One]

WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that a mandate requiring every American to purchase health insurance was the only way to achieve universal health care but she rejected the notion of punitive measures to force individuals into the health care system.

"At this point, we don't have anything punitive that we have proposed," the presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We're providing incentives and tax credits which we think will be very attractive to the vast majority of Americans."

She said she could envision a day when "you have to show proof to your employer that you're insured as a part of the job interview — like when your kid goes to school and has to show proof of vaccination," but said such details would be worked out through negotiations with Congress.

Clinton unveiled her health care plan Monday in Iowa, promising to bring coverage to every American by building on the current employer-based system and using tax credits to make insurance more affordable.

She told the AP she relished a debate over health care with her political opponents, including Republicans "who understood that we had to reform health care before they started running for president."

On Tuesday, Clinton began airing a 30-second ad statewide in Iowa and New Hampshire promoting her new health care plan. The ad reminds viewers of her failed effort to pass universal health care in the early 1990s, trying to portray a thwarted enterprise as one of vision.

"She changed our thinking when she introduced universal health care to America," the ad's announcer says.

The ad also highlights her support as senator for an expanded Children's Health Insurance Program and for more affordable vaccines.

Her health care plan would require every American to buy health insurance, offering tax credits and subsidies to help those who can't afford it. The mandatory aspect of her proposal, however, gets glossed over in the ad.

"Now she has a health care plan that lets you keep your coverage if you like it, provides affordable choices if you don't, and covers every American," the ad says.

The ad also continues her campaign's effort to appropriate the mantle of change away from rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards. The word change or its variations appears four times in the ad, which ends: "So, if you're ready for change, she's ready to lead."

Though her ads are airing in major markets in both states, they are appaearing with greater frequency in Iowa. Polls of voters in New Hampshire show her with a double digit lead over Obama and Edwards, but polls in Iowa show the three of them clustered together.

___

Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report

AP Interview: Clinton on health care - Yahoo! News

[Army_of_One]

How can the gov't REQUIRE you to buy ANYTHING? How can the gov't force a free person to purchase anything??? How will this be paid for? REPEAL the Bush tax cuts: IE RAISE TAXES? Will it cover the illegals too? Social medicine does NOT work. SEE CANADA....and some countries are trying to go away from it....

[Army_of_One]

In unveiling her plan, she called for a requirement for businesses to obtain insurance for employees, and said the wealthy should pay higher taxes to help defray the cost for those less able to pay for it. She put the government's cost at $110 billion a year.

"Government command and control only increases costs and decreases quality," the former New York mayor said. "My approach is to encourage people to buy their own health insurance ... give people incentives to buy health insurance, not demand that they do it."

Townhall.com::The News::News Article

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

... Will it cover the illegals too? ....

It’s going to be a surprise.

September 17, 2007

Clinton has no answers for undocumented immigrants

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — At a press briefing after Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's health care rollout Monday, senior policy advisers said the New York senator's plan does not currently include any details on whether illegal immigrants will be covered.

Senior policy adviser Laurie Rubiner–while acknowledging that undocumented immigrants are a "huge issue" in this country–said, "That's one we're going to have to think through a little bit."

"We have not dealt with every single detail with this plan," Rubiner continued.

When asked if it would be safe to assume that the Democratic frontrunner, at this point, has no position on coverage for illegal immigrants advisers answered "yes" and said the plan does not "at this point" deal with that issue.

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker Clinton has no answers for undocumented immigrants «

[Outofdodge]

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

Social medicine does NOT work. SEE CANADA....and some countries are trying to go away from it....

I believe you meant to write "socialized medicine", and the Canada system is not a Canadian system but a provencial system. Regardless by and large it works better in that it guarantees a certain level of care for everyone. The well documented history of waits and "rationing" aside, it seems to work but it works at a high price. The lowered drug costs are well documented. If anyone thinks we can maintain the status quo in the US without resorting to asking the hard questions about instant access then they are sorely mistaken.

Seeing how you don't have to purchase health care and the quality of life for the over 65 population drastically improved with the advent of Medicare (and expanded social security), I don't see how you can assail basic government provided medical care as socialized medicine in an intellecutally honest debate. Our cost of care is the highest and public health indicators are generally among the lowest of the industrialized nations it's kind of hard to state that basic benefits guaranteed to a population does not work.

Healthcare takes a huge chunk of GNP already and it's going to get worse. There's more government involvement in private care now in the US than a good conservative would even think about.

Our basic healthcare safety net are requiring hospitals to provide free care and blaming providers and insurers for the cost of care. While there's some measure of blame, by and large its akin to blaming grocery stores for people going hungry.

And for the record, I think the H. Clinton plan is election season posturing and does not solve anything. Its just a way of claiming to do something and buys off the insurance industry in the process.

[Army_of_One]

OOD, I know you deal with the healthcare industry and have some good "inside" perspectives. What do you think of a healthcare savings or medical voucher type situation? I believe in competition and I think when people have healthcare insurance they don't care what a DR charges because they don't see it. If a family had a medical savings account to draw from then wouldn't they "dr shop" to find the guy that's maybe a few dollars cheaper on his office calls etc? I know that is a simplification but I believe if you introduce some type of competition then the consumer wins.

With the Canadian system there are long waits for some services. Imagine waiting 6 months to be seen for prostate cancer? People that have them money come here.

[jeezeweeze]

Originally Posted by Outofdodge

And for the record, I think the H. Clinton plan is election season posturing and does not solve anything. Its just a way of claiming to do something and buys off the insurance industry in the process.

She is not above using any rhetoric to get elected. Just like the rest of them, both parties.

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

With the Canadian system there are long waits for some services. Imagine waiting 6 months to be seen for prostate cancer? People that have them money come here.

People that have money can go where ever they want for anything. Not just health care, but there is nothing at all wrong with that.

I order my BP medicine from Canada. Its very expensive here and I pay less than half ordering it online. Funny thing is, it comes to me from the United Kingdom, and the writing on the box looks like Indian.

My doctor here isn't happy about it at all. He says you cannot be sure if its the same quality as the US. Well how the hell do we know if its processed here or frigging China. I asked him if the thought the pharmaceutical companies here had any qualms about their meds being made in China or where the f**k ever for profit sake.

Our Government don't give a rats ass about anything anymore, so we are just left to our own devices. Do the best you can do cause you are on your own.

Welcome to Ancient Rome.

[Sherry_Giskie]

When will the anarchy kick in?

[Jolly Rancher]

This country has lost many of its freedoms. They are slowly being taken away from us, slow enough for us to not notice it too badly.

I am dearly afraid of the future. My main concern is that my children and grandchildren will be the ones hurt the deepest.

[K C Muffin]

Originally Posted by Jolly Rancher

This country has lost many of its freedoms. They are slowly being taken away from us, slow enough for us to not notice it too badly.

I am dearly afraid of the future. My main concern is that my children and grandchildren will be the ones hurt the deepest.

Yep - and ya know the sad part of that? They won't even know what they're missing. One day this will all come full circle and there will be another Independence Day - THEN they'll know what they've been missing.