Obama and Clinton Split Hairs over Health Insurance MandatesMarch 2008
The recent news that health care spending is predicted to double in the next decade has everybody talking about costs; everybody, that is, except for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, who spent more time talking about the differences in their
health insurance plans than about how much those plans might cost.
This is interesting, since most experts suggest that the Clinton plan and the Obama plan are not all that different. Both want to move closer to universal health care, and both want to minimize the burden of medical debt as it has been weighing on American institutions and citizens alike.
Where they differ is in the issue of mandates. Clinton believes that you can't achieve universal health insurance without mandates, since an estimated 20% of the uninsured are young people who could afford to get some type of health care coverage, but choose not to. When these people are injured, their costs funnel down toward the public's taxes and insurance premiums.
But Obama believes that too many people simply can't afford health insurance costs, and that these people shouldn't be forced to pay for a plan that could be financially devastating.
Both candidates plan to make health insurance more affordable, whether it's by tax breaks, subsidies, or controlling the prices that insurance agencies can charge in the first place.
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Health Care Debates
Did you know...
An estimated 20% of the uninsured are young people who could afford to get some type of health care coverage, but choose not to?
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But until they address the actual costs of health care, neither of the plans can really address the needs of the American people. We spend more on
health care in this country than in any other industrialized nation, and yet we rank lowest in terms of providing coverage to our citizens.
When a candidate figures out how to remedy that situation, then we'll see real change in the health and well being of the country.
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