DES MOINES, Iowa, March 26, 2007
Clinton Promises Universal Health Care
Says She "Learned A Lot" During Failed Health Care Effort Of Husband's Presidency
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Sen. Hillary Clinton said she hasn't laid out a specific plan for health care reform yet because she wants to hear from voters what kind of plan they would favor. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Who's Who 2008 Democratic Hopefuls Clinton, Obama and Edwards lead the chase for the Democratic nomination.
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Who's Who 2008 Republican Hopefuls McCain and Giuliani head up the Republican pack chasing the presidency.
"We're going to have universal health care when I'm president — there's no doubt about that. We're going to get it done," the New York senator and front-runner for the 2008 nomination said.
Clinton focused on health care issues during an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" broadcast from the state where precinct caucuses will launch the presidential nominating season.
Asked how she could improve on her failed effort to reform health care during her husband's presidency, Clinton said pressure for change has built in the last decade and that would make tackling the issue easier.
"I believe the American people are going to make this an issue," said Clinton. "I believe we're in a better position today to do that than we were in '93 and '94. ... It's one of the reasons I'm running for president."
After the televised meeting, Clinton headed to a Des Moines elementary school to receive the endorsement of former Gov. Tom Vilsack and his wife, Christie.
"Hillary Clinton has been tried and tested like no other candidate for president," Tom Vilsack said.
His wife added, "To me, this is not just an endorsement but a commitment."
Clinton said her relationship with the Vilsacks dates to her work in the 1970s with Christie Vilsack's late brother, lawyer Tom Bell.
"We will be crisscrossing Iowa and crisscrossing America," Clinton said.
In her earlier appearance, Clinton argued that health coverage has deteriorated over the last decade, and that's increased public pressure to act.
"The number of uninsured has grown," said Clinton. "It's hard to ignore the fact that nearly 47 million people don't have health insurance, but also because so many people with insurance have found it's difficult to get health care because the insurance companies deny you what you need."
Clinton opened her latest campaign swing with a live broadcast from the Science Center of Iowa, where she spoke to more than 200 activists at a town meeting about health care issues. It's an issue with which she is very familiar. After her husband won the White House in 1992, she headed an effort to put a universal health care system in place. That effort eventually collapsed under pressure in part from the insurance industry.
However, while Clinton said the issue continues to be a high priority for her, she has not offered up a specific plan. One questioner at the town hall meeting held up a copy of a DVD containing a detailed description of Democratic rival John Edwards' plan for universal health care, asking Clinton if she will also offer specifics.
The reason she hasn't "set out a plan and said here's exactly what I will do," Clinton said, is that she wants to hear from voters what kind of plan they would favor.
"I want the ideas that people have," said Clinton. She said any health care plan must deal with the reality that there's a unique climate in the country.
"We are bigger and more diverse and people like their choice," said Clinton.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and 2004 Democratic runningmate, has said it's inevitable that taxes would have to go up to finance an expensive health care plan. Clinton disagreed.
"We've got to get the costs under control," said Clinton. "Why would we put more money into a dysfunctional system?"
Clinton sidestepped a question on whether she'd consider Vilsack as a potential running mate should she win the nomination.
"I am a very big fan of Governor Vilsack," Clinton said, adding that he has "the kind of practical but visionary leadership we need in our country."
Vilsack was the first Democrat to formally enter the 2008 presidential race in November, but he dropped out last month citing the difficulty in raising the tens of millions of dollars necessary to mount a credible bid.
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See all 92 CommentsLets elect her now she wants universal health care she can say it and will at every speech, she just doesn't have a clue about how to get it. Unfortunately, the american people are dumb enough to elect her based on her what she says and not what she does (doesn't) do.
Give me your address, I've got some medical bills to send you that I don't want. Why should we pay for health insurance for Iraq but not for America?
I don't think " I screwed up health care before, trust me to get it right this time" Clinton is the best spokesperson, but you're a toad to argue against the obvious need
Posted by scott4261 at 03:54 PM : Mar 26, 2007
Thanks, man! I'm here for you! :) Since libs call republicans "goose steppers", I tried to think of an equally distasteful name for libs.
I would like to see the public and private sectors compete. The private sector has long said that they are more efficient, but Medicare is administered for about 2% overhead and for private insurers it is more like 20%.
Let people decide if they want the public or private plan. If the public plan can provide more care for lower premiums, it is their choice.
I'll add my share of that to the health fund and my share ALONE would be enough dollars to keep 10 additional "families" as welfare recipients rather than a bunch of welfare ceo's. I much prefer funding help for children and those in need than pay for some multi-millionaire's birthday party for his wife *complete with full size ice sculptures of nake men.
Hmm - this doesn't seem to bother all those "compassionate" welfare haters.
"The $150 billion for corporate subsidies and tax benefits eclipses the annual budget deficit of $130 billion. It's more than the $145 billion paid out annually for the core programs of the social welfare state: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), student aid, housing, food and nutrition, and all direct public assistance (excluding Social Security and medical care)."
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"After World War II, the nation's tax bill was roughly split between corporations and individuals. But after years of changes in the federal tax code and international economy, the corporate share of taxes has declined to a fourth the amount individuals pay, according to the US Office of Management and Budget." --Boston Globe series on Corporate Welfare
Just before my 62nd birthday, I had a heart attack. Left weak, I decided to take social Security - at least I'd have some kind of income and medical coverage, right? Wrong! Someone had changed the law while I wasn't looking and made Medicare not available until age 65! So at 62, you're old enough to retire, but not old enough to get sick. So after paying into Social Security for 45 years or so, I was left with a monthly check and no way to pay my medical bills.
I have found and enrolled in poverty level prescription plans (which I qualify for hands down) through the drug companies, and without that I would be dead, because you do not qualify for medicaid unless you have minor children - no exceptions. I have to chase around with forms and phone calls, which is almost a full time job in itself.
Shame on you, America, for the way you treat your elderly and poor - shame on you! THe only thing I can say to the bleeding hearts who are afraid their taxes may go up a few cents to have the elderly live like human beings, see doctors when they're sick, and not have to rotate their drugs or choose between medicine and food, is that one day you will be in that position.
Q: But some people say socialism has failed.
A: Real socialism has never been tried. Or a start has been attempted briefly in places like Chile in the early 1970s and overthrown by the capitalists/armed forces.
Here we get into labeling. For example an accurate description of the former Soviet Union may be bureaucratic centralism, state capitalism, capitalism without capitalists or something else, but it was never socialist (except perhaps at the start) in the great tradition of left humanist radical democratic thinking.
http://socnet.net/faq.html
By Mary Otto
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 3, 2007; Page B01
The death of a Prince George's County boy this week from an infection that started with an abscessed tooth has spurred lawmakers to demand better dental care for poor children and has prompted a deluge of calls to local dentists for advice and appointments.
Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old homeless child, died Sunday in a District hospital after an infection from a molar spread to his brain.
It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can't find a dentist to remove an infected tooth," Cardin said on the Senate floor Thursday. "Anytime we lose a child, it is a tragedy. But Deamonte Driver's death is particularly devastating because it was easily preventable."
"I can't think of anything colder than that," said LAPD Det. Russ Long, who called the case the most egregious of its kind that he has seen in his career. "There was no mission around, no services. It's the worst area of skid row."
Los Angeles Police Department detectives said they connected the van to Hollywood Presbyterian after witnesses wrote down a phone number on the van and took down its license-plate number.
Witnesses shouted at the female driver of the van, "Where's his wheelchair, where's his walker?"
Gary Lett, an employee at Gladys Park, near where the incident occurred, said the woman driving the van didn't reply, but proceeded to apply makeup and perfume before driving off.
"She didn't make any attempt to help him," Lett said. "He was in bad shape. He was incoherent."
Kaylor Shemberger, executive vice president for Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, said, "Obviously we are very concerned about the information that has been presented to us. We are continuing to investigate the incident. If some of the facts are correct, it is clearly not in line with our policy of handling these types of patients."
We need to round up all republicans, neocons, etc. and send them all to re-educashun camps to teach them how to be politcaly corect. WE CANNOT TOLERATE DESENT, we need to imprison all conservatives until they convert to OUR way of thinking. When everbudy is politicaly corect and thinks like us, then we can all get along
Re-distribute monie from rich and give to the pour, that's what the rich diserve for wurking so hard. It isnt fare that people who wurk hard get payd more.
COMMUNIZE HEALTH CARE FIRST,SPARKY, then energy, then corporations so that everbudy works for the state.
There is no god, only the state, WE know it takes a village, sparky!
Long live the gloreus peeples republic of amerika
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