labken1817 asked:


Read the following quote from Hillary Clinton in 1994, In it she states that Mandated healthcare coverage leaves millions uninsured. However she has never stated as such during the campaign. Why was Hillary against mandated Health Insurance in 1994 and for it in 2008?

‘The only examples we have of individual mandates are those like auto insurance requirements in many states where, in spite of the fact that the state has access to all drivers through the licensing process, literally thousands and even hundreds of thousands of drivers remain uninsured in states with such an individual mandate.’
Although 47 states mandate that everyone have Auto insurance, almost 15 percent of drivers do not.
Not Me – What’s so different between 1994 and 2008 when it comes to Universal Healthcare coverage.
Noah H – Are you aware of the origination of Hillary’s current healthcare plan? It was proposed by Republican Senator John Chafee in 1994.
Misty1949 – Where are my facts wrong. I read half of the article that you posted and saw nothing that conflicts with my statement. The facts are clear, Hillary did not support a Mandated healthcare plan when she worked so hard to come up with a “universal” healthcare plan in 1994, yet now she does.

Catherine

bubbagirl asked:


Read the transcript from tonite’s debate and answer:

CLINTON: It is not enough to say, “Let’s come together.” We know we’re going to have to work hard to overcome the opposition of those who do not want the changes to get to universal health care.

You know, when I proposed a universal health care plan, as did Senator Edwards, we took a big risk, because we know it’s politically controversial to say we’re going to cover everyone.

And you chose not to do that. You chose to put forth a health care plan that will leave out at least 15 million people. That’s a big difference.

When I said we should put a moratorium on home foreclosures, basically your response was, well, that wouldn’t work.

And, you know, in the last week, even President Bush has said we have to do something like that.

I just believe that we’ve got to look hard at the difficult challenges we face, especially after George Bush leaves the White House.

CLINTON: The world will breathe a sigh of relief once he is gone. We all know that.

(APPLAUSE)

But then we’ve got to do the hard work of not just bringing the country together, but overcoming a lot of the entrenched opposition to the very ideas that both of us believe in, and for some of us have been fighting for, for a very long time. You know, when I took on…

(APPLAUSE)

When I took on universal health care back in ‘93 and ‘94, it was against a firestorm of special interest opposition. I was more than happy to do that, because I believe passionately in getting quality affordable health care to every American.

I don’t want to leave anybody out. I see the results of leaving people out. I am tired of health insurance companies deciding who will live or die in America.

(APPLAUSE)

BROWN: All right, Senator Clinton, thank you.

Senator Obama, please respond.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Well, I think that Senator Clinton mentioned two specific issue areas where we’ve got some differences. I’m happy to debate those, which is what I think should be the focus of this campaign. We both want universal health care.

When I released my plan a few months later, we were in a debate and Senator Clinton said we all want universal health care. Of course, I was down 20 points in the polls at the time, and so my plan was pretty good. It’s not as good now, but my plan hasn’t changed. The politics have changed a little bit.

We both — 95 percent of our plans are similar. We both want to set up a system in which any person is going to be able to get coverage that is as good as we have as members of Congress. And we are going to subsidize those who can’t afford it.

OBAMA: We’re going to make sure that we reduce costs by emphasizing prevention. And I want to make sure that we’re applying technology to improve quality, cut bureaucracy.

Now, I also want to make sure that we’re reducing costs for those who already have health insurance. So we put in place a catastrophic reinsurance plan that would reduce costs by $2,500 per family per year.

So we’ve got a lot of similarities in our plan. We’ve got a philosophical difference, which we’ve debated repeatedly, and that is that Senator Clinton believes the only way to achieve universal health care is to force everybody to purchase it.

And my belief is, the reason that people don’t have it is not because they don’t want it but because they can’t afford it.

And so I emphasize reducing costs.

(APPLAUSE)

And as has been noted by many observers, including Bill Clinton’s former secretary of labor, my plan does more than anybody to reduce costs, and there is nobody out there who wants health insurance who can’t have it.

OBAMA: Now, there are legitimate arguments for why Senator Clinton and others have called for a mandate, and I’m happy to have that debate.

But the notion that I am leaving 15 million people out somehow implies that we are different in our goals of providing coverage to all Americans, and that is simply not true. We think that there’s going to be a different way of getting there.

One last point I want to make on the health care front. I admire the fact that Senator Clinton tried to bring about health care reform back in 1993. She deserves credit for that.

(APPLAUSE)

But I said before, I think she did it in the wrong way, because it wasn’t just the fact that the insurance companies, the drug companies were battling here, and no doubt they were. It was also that Senator Clinton and the administration went behind closed doors, excluded the participation even of Democratic members of Congress who had slightly different ideas than the ones that Senator Clinton had put forward.

And, as a consequence, it was much more difficult to get Congress to cooperate.

OBAMA: And I’ve said that I’m going to do things differently. I think we have to open up the process. Everybody has to have a seat at the table. And most importantly, the American people have to be involved and educated about how this change is going to be brought about.

The point is this, you know, we can have great plans, but if we don’t change how the politics is working in Washington, then neither of our plans are going to happen, and we’re going to be four years from now debating once again how we’re going to bring universal health care to this country.

(APPLAUSE)

BROWN: All right, we’ve got some time constraints here, so we’ve got to take another real quick break. Stay with us. We’ve got a lot more ahead.

You can compare the candidates on the issues any time; just go to our Web site, Cnnpolitics.com. A lot more ahead here at the University of Texas. We’ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(APPLAUSE)

BROWN: An enthusiastic crowd here at the University of Texas.

Welcome back to the Texas Democratic debate. Let’s get right to it. Jorge Ramos with the next question.

RAMOS: Senator Clinton, yesterday you said, and I’m quoting, “One of us is ready to be commander in chief.”

Are you saying that Senator Obama is not ready and not qualified to be commander in chief?

CLINTON: Well, I believe that I am ready and I am prepared. And I will leave that to the voters to decide.

But I want to get back to health care, because I didn’t get a chance to respond after Senator Obama finished. No, let me finish, Jorge…

RAMOS: But I would like to come back…

CLINTON: This is a significant difference. You know, Senator Obama has said it’s a philosophical difference. I think it’s a substantive difference.

He has a mandate for parents to be sure to ensure their children. I agree with that. I just know that if we don’t go and require everyone to have health insurance, the health insurance industry will still game the system. Everyone of us with insurance will pay the hidden tax of approximately $900 a year to make up for the lack of insurance.

(APPLAUSE)

And you know, in one of our earlier debates, John Edwards made a great point. It would be as though Social Security were voluntary. Medicare, one of the great accomplishments of President Johnson, was voluntary.

(APPLAUSE)

I do not believe that is going to work. So it’s not just a philosophical difference.

CLINTON: You look at what will work and what will not work. If you do not have a plan that starts out attempting to achieve universal health care, you will be nibbled to death, and we will be back here with more and more people uninsured and rising costs.

(APPLAUSE)

BROWN: All right. We appreciate that you want to make a point, Senator Obama. We have limited time, so I would like Jorge to move on to another subject or we’re going to be out of time.

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: Well, I understand. But I think that Senator Clinton made a…

(LAUGHTER)

You know, she’s making a point, and I think I should have the opportunity to respond very briefly. And I’ll try to make…

BROWN: Very briefly, absolutely.

OBAMA: Number one, understand that when Senator Clinton says a mandate, it’s not a mandate on government to provide health insurance, it’s a mandate on individuals to purchase it. And Senator Clinton is right; we have to find out what works.

OBAMA: Now, Massachusetts has a mandate right now. They have exempted 20 percent of the uninsured because they have concluded that that 20 percent can’t afford it.

In some cases, there are people who are paying fines and still can’t afford it, so now they’re worse off than they were. They don’t have health insurance and they’re paying a fine.

(APPLAUSE)

In order for you to force people to get health insurance, you’ve got to have a very harsh penalty, and Senator Clinton has said that we won’t go after their wages. Now, this is a substantive difference. But understand that both of us seek to get universal health care. I have a substantive difference with Senator Clinton on how to get there.

BROWN: All right, Senator Clinton?

CLINTON: Wait a minute, no, this is too important. This is the number one issue that people talk to me about. You know, when a mother grabs my arm and says, “I can’t get the operation my son needs because I don’t have health insurance,” it is personal for me.

CLINTON: And I just fundamentally disagree.

You know, Senator Obama’s plan has a mandate on parents and a fine if parents do not…

OBAMA: That’s right.

CLINTON: … insure their children.

OBAMA: That’s right.

CLINTON: Because he recognizes that unless we have some kind of restriction, we will not get there.

OBAMA: There’s a reason.

CLINTON: He’s also said that if people show up at a hospital sick, without health insurance, well, maybe at that point you can fine them.

We would not have a social compact with Social Security and Medicare if everyone did not have to participate. I want a universal health care plan.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, that’s — that mother — that mother who is desperate to get health care for her child, will be able to get that health care under my plan. Point number one.

Point number two, the reason a mandate for children can be effective is we’ve got an ability to make affordable health care available to that child, right now.

OBAMA: There are no excuses. If a parent is not providing health care for that child, it’s because the parent’s not being responsible, under my plan. And those children don’t have a choice. But I think that adults are going to be able to see that they can afford it, under my plan; they will get it, under my plan.

And it is true that, if it turns out that some are gaming the system, then we can impose, potentially, some penalties on them for gaming the system.

But the notion that, somehow, I am interested in leaving out 15 million people, without health insurance, is simply not true.

BROWN: All right. Jorge…

CLINTON: We disagree on that.

Rosa