By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
DES MOINES, Iowa - For months, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has promised a plan to bring health care to every American.
She was to make good on that pledge Monday, unveiling a sweeping proposal requiring everyone to carry health insurance and offering federal subsidies to help reduce the cost of coverage.
With a price tag of about $110 billion per year, Clinton's "American Health Choices Plan" represents her first major effort to achieve universal health coverage since 1994, when the plan she authored during her husband's first term collapsed.
The former first lady says she has learned from that experience, which almost derailed Bill Clinton's presidency and helped put Republicans in control of Congress for years to come. Aides say she has jettisoned the complexity and uncertainty of the last effort in favor of a plan that stresses simplicity, cost control and consumer choice.
The centerpiece of Clinton's plan is the so-called "individual mandate," requiring everyone to have health insurance — just as most states require drivers to purchase auto insurance. Rival John Edwards has also offered a plan that includes an individual mandate, while the proposal outlined by Barack Obama does not.
"It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs," Neera Tanden, Clinton's top policy adviser, told The Associated Press. "If you like the plan you have, you keep it. If you're one of tens of millions of Americans without coverage or don't like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and you'll get tax credits to help pay for it."
Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, has already laid out proposals to improve health care quality and reduce costs. She was to release her universal health care plan in Iowa, the first voting state.
With 47 million Americans currently uninsured, the Democratic presidential contenders have been united in advocating universal coverage. They have parted ways on certain specifics, including the individual mandate, which has detractors from both ends of the political spectrum.
Republican skeptics say it would be too invasive and would restrict personal freedom and choice. Liberal Democrats have expressed concern that such a mandate would be too financially burdensome for lower-income individuals and families — a concern shared by Obama, who has said individuals cannot be forced to purchase insurance until the cost of coverage is substantially reduced.
Aides said Clinton believes that an individual mandate is the only way to achieve health care for all. A key component of her plan would be a federal tax subsidy to help individuals pay for coverage.
Clinton's plan builds on the existing employer-based system of coverage. People who receive insurance through the workplace could continue to do so; businesses, in turn, would be required to offer insurance to employees, or contribute to a government-run pool that would help pay for those not covered. Clinton would also offer a tax subsidy to small businesses to help them afford the cost of providing coverage to their workers.
For individuals and families who are not covered by employers or whose employer-based coverage is inadequate, Clinton would offer expanded versions of two existing government programs: Medicare, and the health insurance plan currently offered to federal employees. Consumers could choose between either government-run program, but aides stress that no new federal bureaucracy would be created under the Clinton plan.
Aides said Clinton will propose several specific measures to pay for her plan, including an end to some of the Bush-era tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 per year. Edwards has vowed to completely repeal the tax cuts for high earners to pay for the cost of his plan, estimated at $90 billion-$120 billion per year, while Obama would pay for his plan in part by letting the tax cuts expire in 2010.
Clinton is also expected to stress several cost-saving measures to help pay for universal coverage. She's already recommended several such proposals, such computerized medical record-keeping and a reduction in federal overpayments to hospitals and health maintenance organizations. She would also promote wellness and disease prevention as a way to reduce costs.
Clinton is sure to court danger from the health insurance industry by proposing several industry reforms. Among other things, she would require insurance companies to provide coverage to all consumers regardless of pre-existing conditions.
The insurance industry helped kill Clinton's earlier attempt at health care reform through a multibillion-dollar media and lobbying campaign that included television ads featuring a middle-class couple named Harry and Louise fretting over having to get their insurance through a new "billion-dollar bureaucracy."
While Clinton is expected to lay out a concrete vision for health care reform, she will probably steer clear of delving too deeply into policy specifics, at least for now.
Her 1994 effort was 1,300 pages long and so detailed it offered little room for any maneuvering or compromise. And after seven years in the Senate, Clinton has said she's developed a greater appreciation of the need to compromise.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
I love it... make health insurance affordable by subsidizing it with tax dollars. Let's see, take money out of my left pocket to put it in my right pocket to pay for health insurance.
This really illustrates that politicians forget we pay the taxes. They just move piles of money around to make it appear they are doing something useful.
The math doesn't work either. $110B for this is about $366 per person per year. I understand that they want to have everyone in the plan, but you either need to have substantial cost cuts (such as forgetting to pay the doctors) or you can't come close to a comprehensive plan for this price tag. The proposed 'electronic medical records' efficiency, which many places already use, doesn't come close to saving this amount of money. Or is it $110B more than people currently pay in health insurance premiums?
Good idea though! Everyone should have to line up outside my office to get their health insurance plan.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
I am confused.
If an "individual" wants coverage she keeps talking about this "menu" of options??? Does this mean government plans or individual plans on the free market?
Ohhh wait it is Hillary there is no such thing as free market. She also wants no exclusions, no ratings, guaranteed issue. What a joke.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
$110B for this is about $366 per person per year
Not quite.
Presumably the plan is aimed at the 47M who do not currently have coverage. Everyone else would remain status quo (except for those who jump ship to get the subsidized plan).
The revised numbers work out to $2340 per year.
Still coming up short but politicians know the voting public is not smart enough to run the numbers. And you know the press won't do it either.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
[COLOR=red]Quote from article: The centerpiece of Clinton's plan is the so-called "individual mandate," requiring everyone to have health insurance..."It puts the consumer in the driver's seat by offering more choices and lowering costs"[/COLOR]
Hahaha...my irony meter just blew up! Clinton wants to MANDATE required insurance while telling that us that it gives us more choices. Whaaa? What if my choice is to not have insurance? It may be stupid...but at least that is my choice...for now anyway.
Note to the gullible...MANDATES do NOT give you more choices. It forces you to submit to the government. Typical politician...
------------------------------------
Be separated.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Originally Posted by somarco
Not quite.
Presumably the plan is aimed at the 47M who do not currently have coverage. Everyone else would remain status quo (except for those who jump ship to get the subsidized plan).
The revised numbers work out to $2340 per year.
Still coming up short but politicians know the voting public is not smart enough to run the numbers. And you know the press won't do it either.
I see, so that means it's $110B of tax payer money, not just in chairs being rearranged, but new, additional spending.
So now, in addition to paying my own health insurance premiums, I have to pay an additional $366 per person on my tax return so 43Million don't have to pay their health premiums. Of course, we all know, this will come from a small tax increase on those making way to much money and not paying their fair share already. They won't mind.
Line forms to the left of my office door. Beat the crowds, sign up now
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
How about letting free markets rule and limit government mandates and restrictions like guaranteed issue?
Yeah... because the free market has done such a good job up to now! Everyone REALLY LOVES the current system. Most people can't say enough about how wonderful they think the current 'free market' system is.
What rock do some of you folks live under? Must be a large one.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
[COLOR=#ff0000]"When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything." [/COLOR]
Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
This was in response to privatizing social security. But notice she didn't stop at saying privatizing wasn't the answer to social security. She said it wasn't the answer to anything.
Hear me now. If Hillary wins the presidency and the Republicans lose more seats in Congress, the government will run health care. We will need to find another source of income.
As for the amount of money needed to pay for the program, since when do politicians ever accurately state the cost of their spending programs? We only need to look at the Prescription Drug Plan to know that they missed the mark by a wide margin. As is the case here with Hillary Care or Obama Care or Edwards Care. That price tag is likely to double or triple at the very least.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Originally Posted by al3
Yeah... because the free market has done such a good job up to now! Everyone REALLY LOVES the current system. Most people can't say enough about how wonderful they think the current 'free market' system is.
What rock do some of you folks live under? Must be a large one.
Al
Yep, the big one, you know, the 3rd rock from the Sun.
In terms of disbelieve of all reality, let's see if we agree on the following:
- Access to healthcare is a right. Anyone who can pay for it should have access to it.
- Health insurance is a way to protect yourself in the event you become ill or have an accident. Health insurance itself is not a right, just like auto insurance is not a right.
- If government mandates health insurance (as in you have to have it), this will eventually lead to either the decrease of care, to contain costs, or much, much higher premiums due to adverse selection.
- I have an obligation to myself and my family. I will gladly help out the invalid, disabled, and poor ederly.
- I do not want to help out those who chose to stay at home, rather than work, when they are perfectly capable of working (a child at home is a reason to work, not stay at home).
I personally like guaranteed issue health insurance. People with problems should have a way to obtain some help, without having to declare bankruptcy. I know this is problematic, especially if you talk about adverse selection, but there is some middle ground that will work here. Guaranteed issue does not have to be inexpensive.
Currently, because of the way the system works, PPO patients in hospitals end up subsidizing those with government healthcare. This means we currently do not have a free-market system. If we did, PPO costs would actually come down, but then medicare/medical patients would go untreated. This does not improve if the government gets to insure more of us.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Looks like the Dem's are hell bent on making this "The Issue", yet it would seem like the "Move On" crowd wants "Iraq" to be the central issue. Seems to me as though the Dem's are trying to please one too many groups, are we seeing the beginnings of a split in the party? Republicans have to face this all the time, it is time the Dem's have issues they are willing to fight over with themselves. Let's face it, they have had some years of total unity, anything goes just elect a democrat, maybe we are seeing some serious flaws to this unity! Grant ya, that the media will not talk about it and any defectors will be treated worst than Nader was the last few times he broke away and ran.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Guaranteed issue health insurance is expensive for everyone, driving up costs for the healthy at the expense of providing coverage for the small percentage of the population who cannot qualify for coverage otherwise. Look at the handful of states where GI is the norm. Prices are double or more what a comparable plan would be absent the GI requirement.
Some 36 states have risk pools and all states have HIPAA provisions for those coming off group plans.
Designing a GI product is a no-brainer. Making it affordable is the issue.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Some 36 states have risk pools and all states have HIPAA provisions for those coming off group plans.
Which amounts to a form of guaranteed issue. The issue is PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY - i.e DOING you homework , filling out forms, and not waiting until the last minute, etc., etc.,
The best system is to utilize risk pools - and if you want subsidize the pools heavier but you CAN NOT mix the high risk in with the general population it will never work long term - costs are unaffordable for all involved.
Look real close at those "guaranteed issue" states that think they are so politically correct they are HURTING their own public by making insurance UNAFFORDABLE for EVERYONE - but at least the public feels "warm and fuzzy" and "not offended" that someone is declined or waivered.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
TX,
Good points on utilizing risk pools. I agree. The mechanisms are already in place. The HIPAA pools do need to be more affordable in some states which can be subisidied.
Keep in mind something. The Democrats have to pound their chest about Universal Healthcare. A lot of their base wants it. Republicans have to pound their chest about moral values and "fighting terror." Their base expects it. There are certain things candidates have to say to get elected. They all have to pretend their religious (and Christian if possible).
I think Hillary is far more of a centrist candidate than you all think. I would also calm down about the statement
[COLOR=#ff0000]"When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything."[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]That statement can be taken out of context. She could easliy mean the answer to anything on that particular topic. Try to maintain some objectivity SMAN. The Democrats are getting back in but it may not be as dangerous as you think. The biggest danger for us in Individual Health is the Guaranteed Issue factor.[/COLOR]
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
[COLOR=black]The biggest danger for us in Individual Health is the Guaranteed Issue factor.[/COLOR]
Correct and with Guaranteed Issue there is NO brokers or nominal commissions.
I still think state - by - state changes are more likely than an immediate federal change. We are talking some time for people to argue over this and the insurance industry has buckets of money to fight this also.
We are safe for 2008, and at least half of 2009 likely - maybe longer.
Re: Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a yearGo to Top
Originally Posted by TXINSURANCE
Correct and with Guaranteed Issue there is NO brokers or nominal commissions.
I still think state - by - state changes are more likely than an immediate federal change. We are talking some time for people to argue over this and the insurance industry has buckets of money to fight this also.
We are safe for 2008, and at least half of 2009 likely - maybe longer.
TXINSURANCE, check you PM. It's about wanting info on your life GA.
Clinton to offer health care plan, only $110,000,000,000 a year
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