This is Her Health Care Plan?

AP Interview: Clinton on health care
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
Tue Sep 18, 12:59 PM ET

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.

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Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

(What a great idea ~ Require people to buy health insurance.
Bing, bang boom, everyone is covered. Sheesh, people, why didn't we think of that sooner?)

I USED to think highly of Hilary, 8 years ago. Her idea is ridiculous. The BEST way to take care of health care is to get people to take care of THEMSELVES. Instead of spending $3oo a month on insurance, spend it on healthy food and vitamins. Throw in some therapeutic grade essentia oils and some colloidal silver and your covered.

I forgot to mention exercise and meditation. You are right BTM. Thousands of people die every year in hospitals and from pharmeceutical drugs, but, one person has a bad reaction to an herb and the gov. wants to ban it!! The really intelligent one was when the gov. wanted to make vitamins prescription only. I guess they figured it would FORCE us to go to doctors. ha,ha it didn't work.

The whole thing is a joke! We don't need insurance. They need us and make that very clear. We should be entitled to free care just as the Government officials and employees. Our tax dollars cover them why can't our tax dollars cover us. Oh I know it is to expensive and would cost the govt. more and would raise our taxes. Better yet, how about if we discontinue all gvt. agency insurance benefit coverage. What than would they do. Would they pay the high price for private insurance. I think not.

NO, we don't need insurance. What does need to be done is to ban all the commercials on T.V. for prescription and over the counter drugs. People watch them and either think they have the ailment they're pitching or they will. I.E. It's cold and flu season, uh oh, I guess that means I'm automatically going to get sick. What Crap!! I haven't had a cold or the flu in over 10 years. I'm in and out of the cold all night long, I have drunks that "spray" in my face when they talk to me and I NEVER wear a coat. (too bulky) according to the "experts" I pretty much do everything wrong. Oh, and I have 2 space heaters to keep my 3 bedroom, split level house warm. (yes, it does get cold) I guess what I'm getting at in this rant is DON'T BUY INTO IT!!!