The Wall: Hillary on Health

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"I believe everyone, every man, woman and child, should have quality, affordable health care in America. We should do it."

We were first introduced to Mrs Clinton's position on our industrialized nation's health care through 1993's Hillarycare: where her attempts to push it forward, ultimately conincide with one of her most important concern within her platform in the 2008 presidential elections; "To provide quality, affordable health care for every single American. And I intend to be the president who accomplishes that goal finally for our country."

1993: Our first lady, Hillary Clinton is appointed chiarwoman of the Task force on National Health Care reform: a controversial and somewhat questionable action according to multiple politicians. However this plan was primarily based upon administartive proirities of bettering Health care. Yet despite skeptics, Hillary campaigned on to fight for a universal health care: or popularly refered to as "Hillarycare" by those whom opposed her ideas. Hillarycare consisted of alliances amongst health care corporations, a system where health care would be avialable to all citizens and residents, not only under an emergency room situation. It was a proposal which implied required health coverage on behalf of employers from individual health maintanence organizatiopns, for their employees. However these skeptics rose to opposition, whithin the US court of Appeals correlating with FACA (Federal Advisory Committee Act). In response, the Clinton administration provided the Recomindation clause in Article II of the US constitution, from the FACA's general requirements in terms of her participation within the Task Force. Ultimately Hillary was deemed government official. Yet more setbacks followed such as 1993's AAPS's (Association of American Physicians and Surgeons) lawsuit agianst HIllary Clinton and Donna Shalala. Then in 1994, President Clinton's Health Security Act was introduced to the public, which consisted of HMO (Health Maintenence Organization) and required employers to provide health coverage for it's employees. Questioning whether health care problems exsisted, democrats themslevs proposing varied plans, and 1994's midterm election where the "Republican Revolution" gave GOP control of both house of representatibe and the senate, ultimately ended any hope of passing a universal health care plan, at that time period.

"Hillarycare" clip from Micheal Moore's Psycho

Here we are 15 years after Bill Clinton's presidency, in the midst of the 2008 election where NY's junior senator runs for presidency, emphasizing on her pursuit of a universal health care plan where, "People are going to have the same health care choices as members of Congress," We were first introduced to American Health Choices Plan in september of 2007. A oppossed to her 1993 plan, she now focusses upon the importance of choice: not being limited to one heal care plan as a result of economic deficiencies. Hence the name American Health Choices.

This plan consists of a $110 billion per year price tag and controversial "individual mandate" requiring each individual to have health insurance. "The good news is that such an individual mandate could be the cornerstone for a thorough-going reform of health care into a private consumer-driven system. The bad news is this is not the direction that Sen. Clinton's plan takes. The senator is right when she declares Part of our health care system is the best in the world, and we should build on it; part of the system is broken, and we should fix it." Yet many find her though on where these faults lie is incorrect. Her thoughts could lead to "economically vulnerable clerks would be fired and replaced by automated systems or by offshore workers. Instead of just lacking health insurance they would now be out of a job."

The consumer would be provided with various choices at affordable prices, and the choice to change with a new coverage, or remain with whichever they are content with. This New Health Choice Menu appeals to some but others such as Harvard's buisness school teacher Regina Herzlinger, "The problem is that this one store offers products designed by federal bureaucrats....In other words, there is little consumer choice." Yet American citizsen would now be granted access to to the same health coverage that any member of congress would recieve, through the FEHBP (Federal Employee Health Benefit Program) both public and private. It would provides refundable tax credits, which woudl evade the push to bankrupcy that the current health policy has done. These tax credits provide working families the benefit of only having to pay no more than a limited percentage of their incomefor their premiums. In additon to the removal of hidden taxes would accumualte to the lowering of taxes and the imporvement of quality.

Those whom apply, pay their coverage, hold pre-exsisting condition, or priced unfairly cannot be denied coverage, "Americans from all walks of life aren't going to be fooled again." Security that their coverage will not waver if they become sick or loss of job. Also implements that small buisness would be provided help on the expense of health coverage for it's employees. Thus rippiling effect of craeting good jobs that will remain a constant rather than a rarity, "large employers will be expected to provide health insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage: small businesses will receive a tax credit to continue or begin to offer coverage." Lastly it provides net tax cut for American tax payers. Defends employer provided health premious' tax exclusions, limited to only those making over 250,000.

Despite past doubters of her universal health plan, "Her plan is the wrong prescription for America's health care woes because it would result in poorer quality health care, lost jobs, less consumer choice, and higher taxes." Mrs Clinton's confident that this new proposal fulfills many factors that were not included in her 1993 plan. With the realization that, "it's going to take quite a bit of contortion to come up with that sort of misrepresentation" she places faith that it will help the American people's struggles within our current Health care system.

Ultimately Hillary Clinton stands to her initial ideals, "We should do it because in this new economy, when people move jobs more than ever before, their health insurance should move with them. We should do it because doctors and nurses, not insurance company employees, should be calling the shots on patient care. We should do it because solving the health care crisis is key to ensuring American competitiveness in the global marketplace. We should do it because in a nation where we split the atom, sent a man to the moon, mapped the human genome, where we have some of the most promising treatments and cures available, hard working people should get the care they need when they're sick."

Mrs Clinton's direct response addressing Health care