Hillary Clinton: Warren's Medicare for All plan wouldn't ever get enacted

[highplainsdem]

https://www.axios.com/hillary-clinton-elizabeth-warren-medicare-for-all-f0a75343-3fd8-42a3-acec-244bc40c2ac5.html

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during the DealBook conference in New York on Wednesday she doesn't believe 2020 candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Medicare for All plan would ever be enacted.

"The smarter approach is to build on what we have; a public option is something I've been in favor of for a very long time. I don't believe we should be in the midst of a big disruption while we are trying to get to 100% coverage and deal with costs."

What she's saying: During the event in New York, Clinton said in response to a question on whether she could "get behind" the plan, "If it were to go to Senate ... if you had a president who pushed to present it, I would be very much in favor of whatever the debate was."

The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate added that while she doesn't think it would pass, it was the "right goal" and the current health care debate among Democrats is healthy.

"The Affordable Care Act took us to 90% of coverage — the highest we had ever gotten in our country after many, many efforts including one I was involved in more than 25 years ago.

"We have a 10% gap to fill and we have a lot of learning to do about the best way not only to fill the gap, but then to drive down costs as much as it is possible without undermining quality advancements."

-snip-

[Hoyt]

1. True. If Clintoncare had passed in early 1990s, we'd have a fine healthcare system now.

[Jirel]

19. She was in love with HMOs. No.

The US needs to do what South Dakota has done - ban HMOs as an insurance model. Clinton was all in to them back in the day. That would’ve been a disaster - the worst patient care combined with the highest administrative overhead bite of the healthcare dollar.

M4A works in part because the administrative overhead gets cut dramatically. If Warren wins, are we really going to have M4A passed? Unlikely. But we probably will have a robust Medicare option for all those who want it, phased in over 5+ years, since nobody wants to see every American wind up being enrolled in Medicare within the same short time period. That would be a horrible mess. Most likely she and other architects would bank on people getting smart when they compare their care to Medicare patients’ experiences, and eventually switch over for lower prices and better care.

[Hoyt]

24. Actually, her plan was universal coverage with government setting rates and promoting coordinated

care overseen by local board. HMOs do coordinate care, something traditional Medicare does not do.

If we go to Medicare-for-All, by some miracle, uncontrolled utilization -- by patient demands and doctors and other providers trying to maximize their income -- will result in much more stringent utilization controls than any HMO.

Problem is, Warren will not win in the General Election with her "Medicare-for-All, even if you don't want it" campaign. A Public Option will get us there much quicker in this environment.

[Cha]

28. Hillary is right.. she wants Health Care for us all..

that will actually work.

[JoeOtterbein]

2. Who said they would veto any healthcare plan that did not cover all Americans...

...in a State of the Union address?

[George II]

3. Cue the Clinton attacks in 3....2....1....

[highplainsdem]

6. This is going to shock some Warren supporters.

[doc03]

4. She is right, the health-care industry is too entrenched to beat all at once.

The only way is gradual change over probably decades.

[Cha]

5. "The smarter approach is to build on what we have; a public option is something I've been in favor

of for a very long time. I don't believe we should be in the midst of a big disruption while we are trying to get to 100% coverage and deal with costs."

Good for Hillary coming out with this!

Excelent find, hpd.. Thank You!

[Thekaspervote]

8. Thx Cha for posting and A big big thank you to Hillary for speaking up. She knows

[Cha]

10. Too right on, Kasper! This is coming

from Madame POTUS who has been through it!

"The Affordable Care Act took us to 90% of coverage — the highest we had ever gotten in our country after many, many efforts including one I was involved in more than 25 years ago."

Good on Hillary sticking up for ACA and not trying to tear it down like some Dems.

[abqtommy]

7. If the attention that has been given to MFA results in the strenthening of the ACA then

I think it will all have been worthwhile.

[KPN]

16. THIS. It's not a question of "if". It will result in strengthening. Starting from a position of

"oh well, we can't get that" is a self-defeating approach and guarantees increments at best. I think both Warren and Sanders know and adhere to this -- they aren't idiots.

[PhoenixDem]

9. Hillary is correct as usual

ACA with a PO is the way to achieve 100% coverage without destroying and rebuilding the system.

My analogy is simple. If you invite 20 people for dinner and 24 people show up, you just make one or two extra dishes so there is enough food.

Medicare for all is like throwing the entire dinner in the garbage and recooking the whole thing for 24 people.

[betsuni]

11. That's a good analogy!

[Cha]

12. Hey Phoenix.. Thank You!

Too bad some are so set on throwing the whole dinner away.

[emmaverybo]

18. Excellent.

[highplainsdem]

23. Perfect analogy!

[comradebillyboy]

15. Blaming Hillary for Newt is a real low blow...

[comradebillyboy]

14. Words of wisdom from Hillary Clinton our rightful president...

[myohmy2]

20. "The smarter approach is to build on what we have..."

...Hillary is certainly entitled to her opinion, but I do wish she wouldn't put her thumb on healthcare scale...

"The smarter approach is to build on what we have..." is what's open to debate...will the fight for the last 10%(?) ever happen with so many not having a dog in that fight?...I doubt it...

...in a democracy compromise will occur to a certain degree for anything to happen...but you don't start negotiating by giving away the store...

...and Hillary touched on the greatest strength of MFA the public option won't achieve, the containment of healthcare costs...under MFA, if you're a healthcare provider and you want access to the American people, you'll have to play ball with Medicare...that's working quite well right now...

…no, MFA is definitely the way to go...

[blm]

21. Not in THIS congress, but, we have 2022 and 2024 to look forward

to.

Hillary is right it won’t get enacted. Not this congress. Not till we elect those who will act to get to the goal of 100% coverage that every Dem claims to support.

Those of you insisting it can NEVER happen must have missed out on the 2018 election cycle.

[Amimnoch]

22. Fishes promising flight like birds..

I think it's hyperbolic to say it will never get enacted, but I do think it's a topic that should be getting pushed with the candidates running for the House and Senate, not those running for the presidency.

The only thing I need to know about OUR next president when it comes to healthcare is that she or he will sign off on any bill that Congress passes, that is championed by the Democratic Party members.

Each month for the last 3, we have been losing ground in the battleground states that will determine if the next POTUS is one of ours, or Trump. These petty arguments over policies that will require passing bills through congress just needs to stop. The focus of all our candidates should be on how each will go after Trump, and how they will repair the damage he has done to our nation and to us on the international stage.

It is an incumbent election year, that is not in our favor.
Thanks to the great work of President Obama, our economy has managed to hang in there through Trump's first term, but again, in an incumbent year, a strong economy does not do us any favors for winning.

This HAS to be about the swing states,
This HAS to be about going after trump, not each other,
This HAS to be about repairing the damage of Trump.

OR, on Wednesday, November 4th, 2020 we will all be waking up to that same incredibly shitty feeling we had on that horrendous day back in November of 2016.

[Sloumeau]

25. highplainsdem, thanks for posting this. :)

If anyone knows how hard it is to get a big, comprehensive healthcare bill through Congress, it's Hillary Clinton.

[George II]

30. An interesting sidelight of this discussion - back when Hillary Clinton was trying....

....to get universal healthcare through the Congress in the early 1990s, Elizabeth Warren was a member of the party that fought Clinton tooth and nail to kill it.

[comradebillyboy]

27. Hillary Clinton, right as usual....

[Gothmog]

29. Hillary Clinton: Warren's 'Medicare for All' plan would never get enacted

Link to tweet

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she does not think Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) "Medicare for All" plan could ever get enacted and that she backs a public option instead.

“You just don't think that that plan would ever get enacted?” interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Clinton at The New York Times DealBook Conference.

“No, I don't. I don't, but the goal is the right goal,” the former secretary of State responded.

“I believe the smarter approach is to build on what we have. A public option is something I've been in favor of for a very long time,” Clinton said. “I don't believe we should be in the midst of a big disruption while we are trying to get to 100 percent coverage and deal with costs.”

[Tarheel_Dem]

31. She's right. "Build on what we have". n/t

[Gothmog]

32. I trust Hillary on this

She is very tough and smart