Clinton Cautious on Health Care Reform

[jefferson_dem]

Lame.

Clinton Cautious on Health Care Reform
Democratic Presidential Hopeful Hillary Clinton Adopts Cautious Approach on Health Care Reform
By BETH FOUHY
The Associated Press
NEW YORK

When it comes to health care reform, Hillary Rodham Clinton epitomizes the old adage, "once burned, twice shy."

As first lady in the early 1990s, she tried to reshape the nation's health care system an audacious effort that collapsed under its own complexity, Republican opposition and the Clintons' unwillingness to seek compromise with lawmakers.

"I still have the scars to show for it," she tells voters now, promising a more consensus-based approach to health care reform if she is elected president.

But that newfound caution has also come with a price. While rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards have both laid out sweeping health care reform plans with estimated costs attached, Clinton has so far proposed only modest changes to the existing system while avoiding the vexing question of how to provide coverage for all.

With some 47 million Americans lacking health insurance, the issue has become an urgent priority for Democratic primary voters and for organized labor, a major party constituency. Activists say the time for caution is long past and they want answers from Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.

<SNIP>

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3312094

[Phredicles]

1. She should know better than anyone what a lost cause "consensus" with the Thugs is.

[Warpy]

2. Yeah, but it made her timid, not defiant

and defiance is what we need right now, rabid defiance.

We need somebody who is willing to eliminate our health care problem, the profit motive.

[William769]

5. Talk is cheap.

And to be honest here I don't see any of the three front runners with a solid answer. I believe it's going to take the Presidency, Congress and a revolt from the American General public to get a handle on health care.

[question everything]

15. And the reason is that most Americans who are covered by

their employers provided health insurance like what they have.

People here praise "Sicko" and the Cuban system. Can anyone really believe that Americans will embrace a "Cuban" anything?

The lesson from Clinton's 1993 is that this will have to be taken a step at a time. Even though a recent Edwards video has the Beatles' "Revolution" song in the background, his plan is cautious and still relies on employers as the main vehicle, as is Obama's.

[Warpy]

20. I suspect you're correct

but also suspect that nobody who has spent the last 6 years within the I-495 beltway is going to be able to shake off the threats and do the right thing.

We the people have always been ten jumps ahead of Congress and we the people are going to have to lead them around by the nose on this one, too.

"Sicko" will undoubtedly help.

[SharonAnn]

32. She didn't try to build consensus. She built a plan in secret, then tried to get "consensus".

[William769]

3. Dupe this page.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x124572

[eleny]

4. I wonder how much money she's getting from the industry these days

And if that's tempering her position.

Frankly, I don't give a darn if she feels burned. She's supposed to be in office for the American people. Unless her constituents are the health care industry. If that's the case - nevermind.

[jefferson_dem]

6. The "Industry" loves Hillary nowadays.

Here's an article from a year ago - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/nyregion/12donate.html?ex=1310356800&en=0882715139712152&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss


They've only gotten more cozy since -

Healthcare Industry Contributions to Presidential Candidates Top $3.7 Million in 2007, Study Says

MANCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 25, 2007 - Democratic and Republican candidates have accepted more than $3.7 million in campaign contributions this year from healthcare industry sources, with more than 45% of it going to just two candidates, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, according to a new report issued Friday.

Overall, healthcare contributions to the 18 currently announced Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates total an aggregate $12.8 million since 1989 -- with 29% of that total donated just in the first quarter of 2007 alone.

Clinton topped the recipient list with $868,722, 23% of all the healthcare money donated to candidates this year. Romney was a close second at $833,385, 22% of the total dollars. The other frontrunners followed. Sen. Barack Obama, with $574,268, 15%; Sen. John McCain, $423,751, 11%; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, $408,822, also 11%; and former Sen. John Edwards, $222,950, 6%.

http://www.medadnews.com/News/Index.cfm?articleid=454035

[eleny]

7. Sounds like they've handed her a lot of salve for those burns

[William769]

8. You forgot to mention that it's only 8% more than Obama

Roughly about 250,000.00 Lets keep things in perspective here.

[avrdream]

30. From the same article:

"Clinton leads among donations from health professionals and lobbyists." I fess up - I'm a health professional and I have donated to her.....BECAUSE I THINK SHE HAS THE EXPERIENCE AND DESIRE TO FIX THIS MESS! Many, many, many of my fellow professionals feel the same way.

I am one of her supporters but I really wish she wouldn't accept money from the insurance and pharmaceutical companies.....mostly because the hammer needs to come down on both of those groups and I imagine it would be difficult to accept donations in one hand while dishing out "punishment" in the other.

Actually, I wish all of the Dem candidates would say no to pharmaceutical and insurance companies. I see absolutely nothing wrong with individual health professionals donating to their favorite candidate.


More from the same reference: "Sen. Christopher Dodd, whose home state houses corporate offices for many insurance corporations, is the top beneficiary of insurance and HMO donations." Why doesn't this get much mention?

[William769]

33. It's Hillary bashing here, all day every day.

They are just not good at it.

[kaygore]

9. She sold out--she is no better than the Republicans on this

Watch SiCKO. Michael Moore makes this very clear (as if we really needed him to tell us that Hillary is a sell-out).

Follow the money and you'll see who sold their souls...and Hillary is right at the top of the list!

[William769]

10. And who's second and third?

[jefferson_dem]

11. But she is first, easily raking in more healthcare $ than the others.

Next time you post a poll on who's winning the race for the Dem nomination, emphasize who's second and third and not first, ok?

[William769]

14. I always do.

I like how you post something and then just conveniently leave out where Obama is. :eyes:

And just so you know all the polling right now is either

1st Clinton.

2nd Obama.

3rd Edwards.

Or

1st Clinton.

2nd Edwards.

3rd Obama.

With the exception of South Carolina.

[jefferson_dem]

17. How did i leave out where Obama is? Read again perhaps?

Maybe you caught the un-edited version?

[William769]

18. You were hoping people only paid attention to your headline.

"The "Industry" loves Hillary nowadays." When they seem to love you guy almost as much.

[jefferson_dem]

19. Almost as much? Check your math.

Whatever the case, i see you have resorted to age-old "but others do it too, only not as bad" defense.

[William769]

22. my math is just fine.

As I said makes your statement bogus, as usual.

[Totally Committed]

13. opensecrets.org: top 20 recipients (House and Senate) of Insurance Money in 2006

1
Santorum, Rick (R-PA)
Senate
$477,906

2
Lieberman, Joe (I-CT)
Senate
$411,594

3
McGavick, Michael (R-WA)
Senate
$385,047

4
*Clinton, Hillary (D-NY)
Senate
$381,730
* please note that Mrs. Clinton is the most highly paid Democrat on this list.

5
DeWine, Mike (R-OH)
Senate
$349,786

6
Nelson, Ben (D-NE)
Senate
$327,791

7
Pryce, Deborah (R-OH)
House
$317,849

8
Johnson, Nancy L (R-CT)
House
$317,100

9
Kyl, Jon (R-AZ)
Senate
$276,545

10
Talent, James M (R-MO)
Senate
$275,686

11
Kennedy, Mark (R-MN)
Senate
$244,086

12
Pomeroy, Earl (D-ND)
House
$242,344

13
Dodd, Christopher J (D-CT)
Senate
$240,850

14
Baucus, Max (D-MT)
Senate
$233,825

15
Allen, George (R-VA)
Senate
$216,686

16
Corker, Bob (R-TN)
Senate
$199,175

17
Carper, Tom (D-DE)
Senate
$189,320

18
Cantor, Eric (R-VA)
House
$187,150

19
Kelly, Sue (R-NY)
House
$187,027

20
Bachus, Spencer (R-AL)
House
$182,050

http://opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=F09&cycle=2006


TC

[William769]

16. Speaking presidential campaigns here.

[Totally Committed]

35. I was just saying that the fact that she has been the top-paid Democrat by the Healthcare Industries

may explain why she's reluctant to do the right thing by us now. It would be biting the hand that has "fed" her, so to speak.

But, it's just another illustration why election reform, the banning of lobbyists from the halls of Congress, and the abandonment of the DLC and all it's corporatist standards is so needed in our country right now.

That's all I was saying. And, it applies, most definitely and directly, to the Presidential elections.

TC

[Clark2008]

12. Edwards proposed a sweeping health care initiative?

When? His proposal still includes all the insurance companies, which won't change a damn thing.

[kaygore]

23. Moore makes it clear that the insurance companies must be

removed from health care. There are certain things in life that should NOT be provided for a profit. Health care is one and public services, such as water, gas and electricity, and waste removal, should also be on that list.

[avrdream]

31. So a plumber can make a profit but a doctor can't?

Otherwise, I completely agree with you - get the INSURANCE companies out of the middle. Tax money to the government, who pays the services for the people. How easy is that?

Works down here in Australia.

[kaygore]

36. Have you seen SiCKO? The doctors in the UK at least have

incentives to make more money. In fact, the one doctor interviewed (a young man) had a one million dollar home and a very comfortable life. Doctors can once again focus on keeping people well and on those who are sick. The present system is terrible for most doctors. I know, I come from a medical family.

No one wants to deprive doctors from making a great living. But right now many doctors really don't have much of a life and their focus is on seeing as many patients as fast as possible in order to make a decent living. The doctors now are slaves to the insurance companies. They need to get back to being the professionals that most want to be. MOst doctors I know did not become doctors to become millionaires. They became doctors because they have a passion for helping people.

[avrdream]

43. Very true.

And that's why I left. A plumber gets paid his/her $300.00 per hour at the time of service. A doctor has to fill in all sorts of forms, hire extra employees to make sure the forms are filled out correctly, and then waits for said form (claim) to get rejected at least once before finally paying about 6 months later.

I assure you, I didn't go to medical school and put in all my hard hours in residency to then have to turn around and worry more about BUSINESS than caring for patients. Many of us feel the same way: Had we known then what we know now, we wouldn't have chosen this career.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

27. Why did you single him out? The article says both he and BO did that

And you single out the guy who is offering universal health insurance, not the guy who will leave at least 15 million Americans uninsured? ;)

The reality is single-payer can't get through Congress right now. Edwards has the best plan to achieve universal health insurance that can actually get passed. It also contains a back-door provision that can gradually phase in single payer via Medicare-plus, for which everyone is eligible.

[jwirr]

21. I think the real fear that keeps Dems from outlining a complete

health care plan is very simple: If they come out for a single payer universal health care program they will be targeted by insurance companies in a big way. Remember the role insurance companies played in Hillary's first attempt to create a workable plan? It is not what they get from industry as much as it is what industry can do against them.

[kaygore]

24. Then they are simply spineless cowards and they need to be defeated

What the 2006 election showed (and what the MSM has ignored) is that feet on the street are more important than gobs of money.

It wasn't only the insurance industry that was behind Hillary's first plan--most all companies were. Now companies realize that they can not compete globally against countries that have national health care.

The democrats need to stop being lily-livered cowards and step up to the plate and speak the truth.

The real reason the democrats won't do this is that so many of them are in the pockets of the insurance industry.

Perhaps we first need election reform that gets the lobbyists and big money out of politics before we can get our government back. OR, we need people with spines and integrity running for public office--people like Jim Webb!!!!!

[kaygore]

26. Then they are simply spineless cowards and they need to be defeated

What the 2006 election showed (and what the MSM has ignored) is that feet on the street are more important than gobs of money.

It wasn't only the insurance industry that was behind Hillary's first plan--most all companies were. Now companies realize that they can not compete globally against countries that have national health care.

The democrats need to stop being lily-livered cowards and step up to the plate and speak the truth.

The real reason the democrats won't do this is that so many of them are in the pockets of the insurance industry.

Perhaps we first need election reform that gets the lobbyists and big money out of politics before we can get our government back. OR, we need people with spines and integrity running for public office--people like Jim Webb!!!!!

[OHdem10]

25. Cautiousness is one of the most common comments

I hear re Hilary in all things. I can understand when you are
frontrunner--you must not make a mistake.

The problem with this is : No passion and No excitement.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

28. Obama's plan is also cautious and not universal. Did you call that lame?

HRC has vowed to offer a truly universal plan. Let's wait and see until she proposes her plan. Her caution is indeed "lame" but if she winds up offering universal health care that is better than an even lamer plan that will leave at least--under the best scenario--15 million people without health insurance (the Obama plan).

[illinoisprogressive]

29. I don't think she will produce one at all.

[churchofreality]

34. She tried nobly in the 90's before anyone gave a shit.

So naturally she is cautious. I still think she is the most likely one to actually get shit done. Not now wehn everyone throws shit out there because it is all theoretical, but when it actually matters.

[zulchzulu]

37. Truman was asking for national healthcare in 1948

It's hardly a new idea...

[TeamJordan23]

38. When is Hillary revealing her health care plan? nt

[ddeclue]

39. Clinton = Corporatist... n/t

[William769]

41. Obama = Corporatist... n/t

[zulchzulu]

40. "Cautious" = Doesn't have one that will make a difference

A lot of her corporate contributors have their hands in her pockets.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

42. Like Obama's, which will leave at least 15 million uninsured?

After all, a lot of his corporate contributors have their hands in his pockets. ;)