September 19, 2007
HRC On The Web: To Your Health
Hillary Clinton talked up her proposal to provide health insurance for everyone in a live webcast 9/18 p.m., calling it a “uniquely American solution” to the problem of the lack of affordable health care.
She also stressed the challenges ahead in turning her plan into law.
Clinton answered a dozen questions from participants from around the country who were asked to sign up online. In a nod to the new media for the new millennium aspect of the event, one question was even submitted by text message.
The webcast was the latest installment of a major rollout for the plan. Clinton ’s campaign also debuted a new television ad in the early voting states of IA and NH, touting her record on health care.
Clinton said thousands of people had logged on to hear her talk about the $110B a year "American Health Choices plan she unveiled 9/17 in Des Moines .
The proposal would require that everyone have health insurance, give them a choice of plans and provide tax credits to help subsidize coverage. All this would be paid for in part by repealing President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy
Clinton called the plan her highest domestic priority and said she had the experience to work with Congress to get it passed, but she also sought repeatedly to manage expectations for how quickly it could become law.
“It’s not a decision for the president alone to make,” she said. “I have to work with the Congress and I look forward to doing that. I know the members. I feel very comfortable with what I believe to be the commitment of many of them, on both sides of the aisle to trying to lower costs, improve quality and cover everyone, but hammering out the details is what we’re going to do in the congressional process starting as soon as I’m elected president.”
While the webcast was billed as interactive, it wasn’t exactly a conversation. Her campaign’s blogger, Crystal Patterson, moderated the forum, reading the questions chosen.
For the most part, Clinton reprised her previous speeches and television appearances, stressing themes like the importance of having a choice of plans, covering pre-existing health conditions and focusing on disease prevention and individual responsibility. She also talked about the need to do more to help improve women’s health.
Clinton said America needed to get generic drugs to the market more quickly and might try to reduce prescription drug costs by looking abroad. “We’ve got to drive a tougher bargain and we have to even open up the possibility of reimportation of the drugs that we as taxpayers help to fund,” she said.
In response to a question about how she would deal with criticism from Republicans, Clinton took the opportunity to try to set herself apart from her Democratic rivals, arguing she had experience to handle it. “I am absolutely confident that I will be able, and I know I will be ready, to take on any attack that comes my way,” she said. “Whoever our nominee is, and I certainly I hope it will be me, they will face the full effect of the Republican attack machine" [ATHENA JONES].
Posted at 08:10 AM
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