Regardless of whom you support for president, you have to be happy about this. Today, Sen. Hillary Clinton unveiled her new plan for healthcare reform and I must say it's about damn time. It is so sad to think that there are so many Americans---over 7 million children---without healthcare insurance...that there are so many Americans that can't afford to get treated. Healthcare, whether some would like to admit it or not, is indeed a matter of life and death at times. Everyone should have healthcare, it should be a right guaranteed by the government for its people. Here is some of the highlights of what Clinton said in her speech today:
"Today as we strive for a new beginning to the 21st century, I believe that everyone — every man, woman and child — should have quality, affordable health care in America. We can no longer tolerate the injustice of a system that shuts out nearly one in six Americans."
Under her plan, people could keep their existing plans or pick new choices. Other options include those similar to the insurance given to federal employees as well as a new Medicare-style plan that would cost less. Businesses would be required to provide insurance for employees. No matter what plan one would choose, it is guaranteed that everyone will have health care.
She would pay for the plan by ending Republican tax cuts for those making over $250,000 and by saving billions by reorganizing the health care system. She would also ban insurance companies from turning people down based on pre-existing health conditions. No one could be denied insurance.
"Now I know that these proposals will not make me the insurance industry’s woman of the year, but I don’t think I’ve been in the running for that title since 1993. The idea is not to put the health insurance industry out of business, but to help it find a better way to make a living.”
Clinton stresses that she will not strip people of their current health insurance. She wants the American people to have flexibility and options:
"People who are satisfied with their current coverage want assurances that they can keep it. 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...You’ll never again have to worry about finding affordable coverage. Your coverage will be guaranteed."
On her Republican opponents, Clinton stated:
"Don’t let them fool us again. This is not government-run — there will be no new bureaucracy, you can keep the doctors you know and trust, you keep the insurance you have, if you like that. But this plan expands personal choice and keeps costs down."
Perhaps the most powerful part of the speech came when she was asked about '94 and whether or not she gave up after her defeat:
"Why would I give up on America and the American people? For so many years I have listened to their stories, I carry their stories with me every day, and perhaps more than everyone else, I know how hard this fight will be. But that’s why I’m running for president.”
Hillary has the best healthcare plan out there right now. It guarantees healthcare for EVERYONE, but at the same time gives people options. It doesn't tell them what they have to do. No one will be forced to do anything, yet potentially millions of lives could be bettered and some possibly saved.
