Hillary Campaign Demands Obama Take Down Ad, Accuses Him Of False Advertising

[Karmadillo]

You can find Time's coverage with links to statements from both sides at TPM. There's also a link to the ad in question.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/11/hillary_campaign_demands_obama_take_down_ad_accuses_him_of_false_advertising.php

Hillary Clinton has been hitting Barack Obama's health plan for a while — and now she's hitting his ad about the subject. The Clinton campaign has now sent the Obama camp a letter, demanding that he take down one of his ads, on the grounds that his claim to "cover everyone" is fraudulent.

"Until the time comes when Sen. Obama has a plan that will cover everyone, you should stop running this false advertisement," wrote Hillary adviser Patti Solis Doyle. "The American people deserve an honest debate about health care."

"The Clinton campaign didn't say a word when this ad was released a month ago, and the only thing that's changed since then is the poll numbers," Obama spokesman Bill Burton wrote to Ben Smith. "The truth is, Barack Obama's universal plan will provide coverage to every single American who can't afford it and do more to cut the cost of health care than any other plan in this race. Rather than spending their time attacking Barack Obama, the Clinton campaign should explain how exactly they plan to force every American to buy health insurance even if they can't afford it."

[sallyseven]

1. Obama is a lier and a cheat.

I lost faith in him quite some time ago. Talk about a spinning wheel.

[K Gardner]

4. Nice post title. Obama is a Democrat, too. That kind of flame doesn't help either. n/t

[jefferson_dem]

6. Rule of thumb... Never insult someone, using a word you can't spell.

:thumbsdown:

[K Gardner]

11. LOL. I was going to point that out but decided to let it stand on its own. n/t

[mod mom]

12. surely you will back up a charge like that.

[Pawel K]

21. Another classy Clinton supporter. Get more of your friends on here, its amusing to see you people nt

[emilyg]

44. I'm so glad we can amuse you. Go Clinton.

[Pawel K]

58. Stop being a "lier"

[Tellurian]

59. I love the term.. "You People" ...same thing I say to my dogs..

[Nedsdag]

95. Dogs aren't people.

n/t

[youthere]

22. If you do not plan to support Obama in the primaries..

that's fine..you're free to support any candidate.But if you are going to call him a liar and a cheat please site examples with links to support your claim.

[MNDemNY]

55. I got one.

His health plan DOES NOT cover everyone. His ad says it does. He is ,therefore, a liar.
Link.. www.asshatliar.com

[Tellurian]

142. K&R

[K Gardner]

2. She really needs to stop this B/S. It's not helping her.

All the "mandated health plans" suck. It's parsing to try to find the difference in their "mandates", or enforced insurance coverage. Hillary needs to tell us why SHE is best for this country. Not why others aren't.

People are sick of this "gotcha" crap.

[ccpup]

13. you should take a minute

and read Krugman in the NYTimes. He explains pretty clearly why the selling of Obama's healthcare plan is -- perhaps -- dishonest. Very interesting read.

[Karmadillo]

23. Interesting. Krugman accuses Obama of using right-wing talking points. Compares him to Giuliani.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/opinion/30krugman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

<edit>

Mr. Obama, then, is wrong on policy. Worse yet, the words he uses to defend his position make him sound like Rudy Giuliani inveighing against “socialized medicine”: he doesn’t want the government to “force” people to have insurance, to “penalize” people who don’t participate.

I recently castigated Mr. Obama for adopting right-wing talking points about a Social Security “crisis.” Now he’s echoing right-wing talking points on health care.

What seems to have happened is that Mr. Obama’s caution, his reluctance to stake out a clearly partisan position, led him to propose a relatively weak, incomplete health care plan. Although he declared, in his speech announcing the plan, that “my plan begins by covering every American,” it didn’t — and he shied away from doing what was necessary to make his claim true.

Now, in the effort to defend his plan’s weakness, he’s attacking his Democratic opponents from the right — and in so doing giving aid and comfort to the enemies of reform.

[jefferson_dem]

31. That's not the point. If his plan is flawed or not as "comprehensive" as hers...

(which I will not stipulate)...she should say so, in her own ads, speeches, etc. To demand he take down his ad is laughable at least and downright offensive at worst. If she feigns offense at this ad...I wonder how she would hold up against the Repug attacks that will come.

She comes off as politically petty and weak. That's not even debatable.

[MNDemNY]

56. And BHO should continue LYING in his own ads?

[cuke]

80. It's OK when Obama does it

[cuke]

79. She did say so. At one of the debates

[emilyg]

45. I didn't see you complaining when the "boys" were after her.

[BanzaiBonnie]

3. She's come undone...

I'm seeing more and more that I don't like from the "Hillary Camp". It's the same sort of misdirected actions/inactions I saw during the Kerry campaign. I think they receive terrible advice from some in their inner circle.

[jefferson_dem]

5. Oh my god. This is the most petty whiny bullshit i've seen in a while.

Get over it, Hillary. The coronation is off.

[Nedsdag]

97. Thank you.

Clinton and her supporters can dish it but they CANNOT TAKE IT!

[Adelante]

7. Oy

This is getting extremely ridiculous.

[bunnies]

8. His response just draws attention to her plans lack of details.

Id also like to know how she plans to enforce this mandate.

[Life Long Dem]

9. Hillary talks one way and votes the other way. She's two faced

[mtnsnake]

16. Back that up with some proof. I'll be waiting...

to see what you come up with that proves she votes differently than what she preaches. When you show us your proof, include her official Senate votes, which are easily obtained by googling them.

[Cameron27]

20. I'll be waiting too.

[Tellurian]

60. yup, pass the...

:popcorn: and bring a sleeping bag with you!

[Life Long Dem]

65. I previously posted something on this subject.

In the post she said there is no way to legislate this, (that's a no vote) yet 35 states are considering doing just that.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3750658

"Inc.com reports that more than 35 states in the US are considering anti-outsourcing bills, and some states have gone a step further:"
http://www.blogsource.org/2005/09/to_outsource_or.html

[ClarkUSA]

78. ZING! Thanks for the information and FACTS, Life Long Dem.

I've bookmarked your links so I can use your point to sway soft Clinton supporters the next time I canvass/phonebank for Obama.

[acmavm]

10. As much as I hate to give the Barrie campaign credit on anything

I do have to say that that have an excellent point on this health care thing and Hillary.

<snip>

"...the Clinton campaign should explain how exactly they plan to force every American to buy health insurance even if they can't afford it."

<snip>

Yeah, the unemployed are gonna play hell getting their bosses to pay for their insurance. And so are the farm workers and domestic help and a shitload of other Americans.

Hillary is just as full of it as her bush** supporting hubby.

[mtnsnake]

14. Hey, the Goddess of Peace stands for truth, so why blame her if she's not for false ads?

If you believed a competitor of yours was running false ads (and I'm not saying Obama is doing this), would you just sit there and take it like a wimp or would you demand the the falsities come to a screeching halt?

[blm]

15. Apparently Clinton camp thinks Americans DON'T DESERVE an honest debate about Iraq

and how the Clintons supported Bush on his decision to attack Iraq from 2003-2006.

[mtnsnake]

19. What on earth does that have to do with health care plans??

:shrug:

[blm]

27. They choose issue by issue which debate Americans deserve honesty? How about ALL issues

deserve honest debate?

[mtnsnake]

30. I'm cool with that, I guess

[Andromeda]

137. Wrong thread, blm...

this one's about health care.

[flpoljunkie]

17. Obama camp response...

“The Clinton campaign didn’t say a word when this ad was released a month ago, and the only thing that’s changed since then is the poll numbers. The truth is, Barack Obama would offer health coverage to every single American who can’t afford it, and he’ll do it by bringing Republicans and Democrats together like he’s done before. Rather than spending their time attacking Barack Obama, the Clinton campaign should explain how exactly they plan to order every American to buy health insurance even if they can’t afford it.”

http://thepage.time.com/response-from-obama-spokesman-bill-burton/

[AtomicKitten]

18. She should try holding her breath til she turns blue.

[sufrommich]

29. Yes,because that's what little girls do when

they get mad. Were the tables turned and Obama did the same thing,he would no doubt be assertively calling her out.I wish people would think about the symbolism of language they're using here.

[jefferson_dem]

32. Oh please.

Now every criticism of Hillary is a unfair misogynistic attack? Bah.

[sufrommich]

39. That would be a fair assessment if every criticism were

being addressed as such.Of course,that isn't happening.

[ellacott]

33. Little boys do that also

:shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

35. This is an election, not a pillow fight. (nt)

[sufrommich]

43. How is this an example of Clinton

falling back on her "they're picking on me mantra".It looked pretty assertive to me.

[AtomicKitten]

47. Sister needs to pull up her socks if she wants a go at the rough & tumble of the big show.

[sufrommich]

53. And how has she failed at that?How has she shown any less

mettle than the rest of them?

[jefferson_dem]

51. WAHHH! I get it!

You're saying you think Hillary would be more suited to run a tweener "slumber party" than this country. How dare you!

I think we've heard this brand of rhetoric before: Why do you hate 'Merca? ----> Why do you hate powerful women?

[AtomicKitten]

54. Her "I'm a strong woman" vs "they're picking on me" mantra is making voters dizzy.

[Tellurian]

94. One thing is obvious, she's stronger than you.

[Nedsdag]

99. All her bloviating doesn't make her a strong politician.

It just makes her a lousy actress. She can't even pull off the "strength" card well.

[emilyg]

48. May I suggest you show her how.

[AtomicKitten]

52. she's doing a great job whining that her opponents are picking on her

[Tellurian]

62. Thats nice!

Here.. have a sour grape:

[Pirate Smile]

24. This ad has been running in Iowa for a long time. Now it is a problem? I don't think so.

Lame.

[madmom]

25. from some one who hates the dem vs dem attitude, with all the in fighting and

gotcha moments, I see no difference in Hillary and Obama.I don't think I'll vote for either in the primary.

[wyldwolf]

26. Obama's plan does not cover everyone by his admission. If his ad says it does...

...that only means it is a lie. :shrug:

[Lucinda]

37. Yup.

[MethuenProgressive]

38. He should pick one story and stick to it, and stop crying he was caught,

More inexperience from Obama.

[ellacott]

28. What's funny is that whoever wins would probably have their plans altered once in office

This was not the wisest move by the Clinton camp. It looks like she is looking for something to fight over.

Many doubt that this was a concern for truth in advertising.

[MethuenProgressive]

42. So claim to have two different plans? So you have a 50/50 shot at one?

Man, that Obama's always thinkin'!

[ellacott]

50. As I said, there's a good chance that nobody's plans will be enacted n/t

[Stop Cornyn]

34. Does this mean Hillary is going to take down hillaryis44.com or is this just more Hillary hypocrisy?

[ellacott]

36. Very good point n/t

[wyldwolf]

40. very BAD point. There is no evidence the Clinton campaign owns hillaryis44

[ellacott]

46. No. it IS a good point

It doesn't matter whether she owns it or not. She is very influential. If she let it be known that this site is beneath her and is not portraying her in the best light that site would be taken down.

This site serves her purpose. She can spread the dirt without getting her hands dirty.

[wyldwolf]

69. oh, ok, so John Edwards should shut down dailykos.

[ellacott]

75. If it were run like His44, yes

[wyldwolf]

118. same connection can be made in this flow of logic of yours

[ellacott]

141. Not really

Big difference in the sites.

[Stop Cornyn]

49. Was there any evidence that that Bush owned the SwiftBoat liars? Do you deny she has the power to

to shut it down?

[jefferson_dem]

57. She no more "owns" that site than the chimpy campaign produced the swift boat liars' ads in 2004.

No more...no less.

[wyldwolf]

70. silly. There is no connection. Just a hillary fan.

[ellacott]

73. Very true

"ownership" is not the issue. They want to have plausible deniability. :)

[Adelante]

41. k&r

I would like everyone to see this foolishness :kick:

[zulchzulu]

61. Hillary Campaign saying it's "Change" is certainly obvious false advertising

If we want to talk about false advertising, the "American Health Choices Plan" doesn't mention a word about just how mandated healthcare is a "choice".

Is forcing someone to get coverage that is tied to the healthcare insurance industry a "choice"? It should be called the "Healthcare Insurance Industry Enforcement Program".

[geek tragedy]

63. She's so shrill. n/t

[bvar22]

64. Thats Rich!!! Hillary attacking Obama's "HealthCare" Plan.

Hillary doesn't have a HealthCare Plan.
Hillary has a Mandatory Private Insurance Plan and just calls it Universal HealthCare!!!!

...and Hillary says Obama is "dishonest"!:blush:




"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[flpoljunkie]

66. It's a good ad, and over a month old. Am surprised Hillary camp would want to draw attention to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aR3Gpsn4v4&eurl=http://tpmelectioncentral.com/

[Forkboy]

67. Someone give her pacifier back to her.

[mtnsnake]

71. Here, Forky, I'll lend you mine

:hi:

[Forkboy]

72. LOL... poor kid.

That's just wrong. :rofl:

[mtnsnake]

76. That poor kid is me!

I had just turned 7 years old when that photo was shot! :evilgrin:

[Grandrose]

74. LOL!

Beautiful baby...that pacifier is fantastic and the funniest thing I have seen in ages! Thanks for the laugh!!:rofl:

[mtnsnake]

77. glad you liked the shot

Like Forkboy said..."poor kid" for sure.

Whoever his (or her) parents were, they had a wicked sense of humor. Gotta love it! :)

[Tactical Progressive]

68. Obama should watch his fast-and-loose with the truth

He's liable to get asked at the next debate whether his health care plan really does cover everyone. And when he hems and haws and basically has to say 'no', he's going to look foolish and dishonest. My guess is that's why the Hillary campaign brought it up.

[cuke]

81. Not one Obama supporter has defended Obama's lie

Pretty revealing that all they can do is attack Clinton. There's no defense for Obamalies

[calteacherguy]

82. What lie?

This is hilarious! She's acting like a spoiled child!

[cuke]

84. Even Obama admits that his plan is not universal

except when he doesn't

[cuke]

85. Obama's Shifting position on Health Care for ALL

from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3756400

During this presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has had a variety of explanations for why his health care plan leaves 15 million people uninsured. Here's a sample —

Sen. Obama claimed his health care plan 'guarantees coverage for every American':


"Today I want to lay out the details of that plan - a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care." (Sen. Obama Remarks, 5/29/07)

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/29/cutting_costs_and...


THEN Sen. Obama admitted his health care plan would not provide coverage for every American:


"During his speech, Obama said, 'I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office.' But after his speech today, Obama told me his plan really isn't 'universal.' He said it's 'virtually universal.'" (MSNBC's First Read, 5/29/07)

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/29/20691...


THEN his spokesman said Sen. Obama believed the decision to require coverage should be left to the states:


"An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator now believes that the issue of mandates should be left to the states to decide, while the federal government focuses on bringing down healthcare costs for everyone. 'As he looked into healthcare, he saw that a mandate was not the answer,' Burton said. 'Good things are happening in the states. The federal government should not stunt what's going on with the states.'" (ABC's Political Radar, 5/31/07)

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_h...


THEN Sen. Obama's advisors said they considered mandates; decided it was too ambitious and unpopular with middle class voters:


"Like so many in the Democratic Party, Obama's advisers remember all too well how excessive ambition killed the Clinton plan politically. They don't want to make that mistake again. They fear a mandate sounds scarier to the public, particularly middle-class voters." (The New Republic, 6/3/07)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/01/opinion/main2...


THEN Sen. Obama said his plan provides health care for everyone:


"Well, let's talk about health care right now because the fact of the matter is -- the fact of the matter is that I do provide universal health care." (CNN, 11/15/07)

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.ht...



THEN Sen. Obama admitted his plan does not cover everyone, said he would be 'happy to consider a mandate' later:


"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[ClarkUSA]

83. Hillaryworld is trying to distract from Bill's recent Iowa outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease

Billy Jeff: I opposed the Iraq war “from the beginning”; Update: DU calls BS
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/11/27/billy-jeff-i-opposed-the-iraq-war-from-the-beginning/

More: http://www.daylife.com/article/0clS5tda7icCW

[Cameron27]

86. Stay on topic

this is about Obama's ad for universal health care. Is it true or isn't it?

[ClarkUSA]

87. The food fight that Hillary is trying to start with Obama isn't going to sit well with Iowans.

No wonder Obama keeps trending up in Iowa, NH, Sc, and nationally while Clinton is losing points in every poll for the past month since she screwed up at the
Philly debate.

Clinton's health care plan requires that everyone buy health insurance (aka. Mandatory Private Health Insurance Plan) though it has no enforcement mechanism;
Obama's plan merely tries to make it affordable in hopes that everyone will be able to buy it. Both plans would vastly expand coverage, but starting with her
efforts to go on offense in the last debate, Clinton has been making a big deal of the difference. Now, Obama is coming on a bit in some polls, and she's casting
him as a false advertiser.

Clinton's tantrum is all politics: Obama's plan has been out there for months, and now Hillaryworld is coming out with this? That tells me they are either slow on
the uptake or campaign circumstances have changed. And I don't think they're slow on the uptake.

It's time to turn the page on Clintonian politics as usual.

[Cameron27]

88. That may be true,

I don't know what the caucus Dems will find objectionable, but that still doesn't answer the question. Obama's plan doesn't cover everyone, and that's what Clinton's saying.

[ClarkUSA]

90. What Clinton is saying is a transparent distraction ploy.

And frankly, I prefer Obama's plan by far because it has NO unenforceable mandate. Why don't you tell me how Clinton plans to enforce
her mandate? Because I could care less about Clinton's food fight talking points.

[Cameron27]

92. No, why don't you tell me if Obama's plan covers

every American citizen first.

[cuke]

93. Why don't we ask Obama about his shifting positions?

During this presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has had a variety of explanations for why his health care plan leaves 15 million people uninsured. Here's a sample —

Sen. Obama claimed his health care plan 'guarantees coverage for every American':


"Today I want to lay out the details of that plan - a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care." (Sen. Obama Remarks, 5/29/07)

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/29/cutting_costs_and...


THEN Sen. Obama admitted his health care plan would not provide coverage for every American:


"During his speech, Obama said, 'I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office.' But after his speech today, Obama told me his plan really isn't 'universal.' He said it's 'virtually universal.'" (MSNBC's First Read, 5/29/07)

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/29/20691...


THEN his spokesman said Sen. Obama believed the decision to require coverage should be left to the states:


"An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator now believes that the issue of mandates should be left to the states to decide, while the federal government focuses on bringing down healthcare costs for everyone. 'As he looked into healthcare, he saw that a mandate was not the answer,' Burton said. 'Good things are happening in the states. The federal government should not stunt what's going on with the states.'" (ABC's Political Radar, 5/31/07)

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_h...


THEN Sen. Obama's advisors said they considered mandates; decided it was too ambitious and unpopular with middle class voters:


"Like so many in the Democratic Party, Obama's advisers remember all too well how excessive ambition killed the Clinton plan politically. They don't want to make that mistake again. They fear a mandate sounds scarier to the public, particularly middle-class voters." (The New Republic, 6/3/07)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/01/opinion/main2...


THEN Sen. Obama said his plan provides health care for everyone:


"Well, let's talk about health care right now because the fact of the matter is -- the fact of the matter is that I do provide universal health care." (CNN, 11/15/07)

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.ht...



THEN Sen. Obama admitted his plan does not cover everyone, said he would be 'happy to consider a mandate' later:


"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[ClarkUSA]

98. Yes, go ask him.

I'll wait for your thread about his response.

[cuke]

103. We have to because his supporters won't defend his shifting positions

Not one Obama supporter has the spine to defend his lies. They think snark will make his lies turn into truth

[ClarkUSA]

104. You did this on another thread and got your answers, which you promptly ignored.

Unfortunately for you, Obama supporters are not fans of pointless partisan exchanges. But I will repeat:

Read away:

Fact Check: Why The Obama Health Insurance Plan Covers More People More Rapidly Than The Clinton Plan Does

November 30, 2007
TO: Interested Parties
FR: Austan Goolsbee, Jeffrey Liebman
DA: November 29, 2007
RE: Why the Obama health insurance plan covers more people more rapidly than the Clinton plan does

As we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses, the first casualty of an increasingly competitive campaign has become the facts about each candidate's health care plan.

Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton took the unusual step of flying from South Carolina to Iowa with the specific purpose of launching her most pointed attack at Senator Obama to date. At her event, she said her plan covered every American and that Obama's universal plan "flunked the truth in labeling test." You don't have to dig too deep into the numbers to see that:

1) Despite her repeated claims, Senator Clinton's plan does not cover every American, in fact it leaves 15-20 million Americans without health insurance

2) Her claim that Obama's plan leaves out 15 million Americans is highly misleading.

3) The Obama plan would cover more people more quickly than the Clinton plan.


READ THE REST OF THE MEMO BELOW



I. Both Obama And Clinton Have Serious Plans For Achieving Universal Health Insurance, But They Are Based On Different Diagnoses Of The Problem

Senator Obama's plan is based on the premise that Americans desperately want health insurance, but can't afford it. In his view, universal coverage cannot be achieved unless we make insurance affordable and enrollment as close to automatic as possible, and so he believes that the focus of the reform effort must be on affordability and accessibility.

Obama has allocated sufficient resources in his plan to cover 100 percent of the population and has said that if we implement his plan and find that there is a tiny percent of Americans who still lack insurance, he will figure out why they are falling through the cracks and get them covered.

Senator Clinton has implied that by including a mandate she will automatically get to universal coverage. Experts agree that this is not true. Indeed, Senator Clinton herself acknowledged this fact when she gave a speech in 1994 criticizing the same individual mandate she now supports:

'The only examples we have of individual mandates are those like auto insurance requirements in many states where, in spite of the fact that the state has access to all drivers through the licensing process, literally thousands and even hundreds of thousands of drivers remain uninsured in states with such an individual mandate.'

It would be extremely unfair to enact a mandate before we make health care affordable—which could take several years. And even once a mandate is in place, the evidence suggests that millions of Americans would need to be exempted and that millions more would not comply.


II. The Evidence Suggests That the Clinton Plan Will Leave 15 to 20 million People Without Health Insurance.

Senator Clinton has repeatedly refused to say how she will enforce her mandate. Even if we assume that she will ultimately propose some substantial penalty for people who do not buy health insurance, the experience from auto insurance and in Massachusetts—the only state that has ever enacted a health insurance mandate—suggests that she will fall far short of universal coverage.

First, Massachusetts has exempted almost 20 percent of the uninsured from the mandate because at today's prices, health insurance is simply too expensive even with the large subsidies provided. Any national mandate would need to do the same.

Second, Massachusetts is not going to achieve 100 percent compliance even among those required to purchase health insurance--and that's in a program with a clear enforcement mechanism. The director of the Massachusetts plan said this quite clearly in a recent New York Times article. While it is difficult to estimate precisely how far short of 100 percent Massachusetts will fall, particularly because we are in only the first year of implementation, the numbers so far suggest that between 30 and 40 percent of the uninsured have complied with the mandate.

Further, the majority of those were people who were automatically enrolled by the state. Among those who needed to take action to enroll, the number is much lower. Even if Massachusetts does better and ends up with only 10 to 20 percent who refuse to comply, those numbers would translate to another 5 to 10 million people uncovered nationwide.

This number of people without health insurance is completely consistent with the evidence from the one kind of insurance where mandates are common – automobile insurance. Although 47 states mandate that everyone have insurance, almost 15 percent of drivers do not.

The bottom line is that the Clinton approach is likely to leave somewhere between 15 and 20 million people uninsured, even with a stronger enforcement mechanism than she currently seems comfortable with.


III. Clinton's Misleading Attack on Obama's Plan

Hillary Clinton repeatedly says that Obama's plan leaves out 15 million people. This estimate does not take into account several features of the Obama plan including his program to immediately cover of all children and his program to actually get coverage for young adults 18-25 (who are the least insured and most likely to disregard a mandate).

Senator Clinton also leaves out the fact that the number includes around 7 million undocumented immigrants who are not covered by her plan either.

The reality is that Obama's plan will cover every American because it cuts costs aggressively, makes enrollment virtually automatic, and because he has allocated sufficient resources to ensure that if after implementation there are some Americans who still don't have health care, he can find a way to get them covered


IV. The Obama Plan Will Cover More People Than The Clinton Plan Will, And Will Do So More Quickly

The main reason that people are uninsured in America today is that they cannot afford health insurance. The Obama plan does more to control costs than the Clinton plan does, and it will cover more people, because:

The Obama plan makes much more significant up front investments in information technology than Senator Clinton's plan does;
the Obama plan provides real reinsurance to alleviate the cost of catastrophic illnesses for all employers and employees, a feature the Clinton plan lacks;
The Obama plan would increase the coverage among young adults by allowing them remain on their parents' insurance up to age 25 regardless of educational status.
The Obama plan would mandate health care coverage for children with a specific enforcement mechanism.


IV. We Cannot Afford To Fail

All of the leading Democrats have put forth serious proposals for achieving universal health insurance. But we have to get the job done. Failure to pass a plan, no matter how well designed on paper, will leave all 47 million uninsured Americans still uninsured. The key question is which person and which plan has the best chance of bringing the country together to actually get the job done. Passing major health care reform requires a president who can bring people together, take on the special interests, and do it in an open and transparent way. On all these measures, Barack Obama's record is unrivaled in this campaign.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The truth is that neither the Obama plan, nor the Clinton plan, guarantees 'universal coverage' for all Americans, although they both aspire to this goal. Let's look at the Clinton plan first. MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber, one of Clinton's health care advisers, describes her plan as a 'universal coverage' plan, in contrast to the Obama plan, which he terms a 'universal access' plan. But he also acknowledges that the Clinton plan will not include everybody. 'Any system that does not have a single payer will not have 100 per cent coverage,' he told me, when I reached him after the Las Vegas debate. 'But you can come very close.' ... The system proposed by Clinton is more analagous to the government-subsidized private insurance system in the Netherlands, where roughly one and a half per cent of the population is estimated to fall through the cracks.'

'Robert Blendon, director of the Harvard Program on Public Opinion and Health and Social Policy, estimates Obama's plan would end up covering 5 percent to 10 percent fewer individuals than Clinton's. But that's assuming that it's possible for Clinton to require everyone to purchase insurance. Blendon suspects that it isn't. 'At the end of the day,' he tells FactCheck.org, 'it's not going to be everybody. We have no idea what the actual falloff would be.' ... Preliminary data from Massachusetts, which implemented a sweeping health insurance plan last year, is showing that many people would rather remain uninsured than purchase a stripped-down plan. 'People always say having some insurance is better than no insurance,' Blendon says. 'It turns out, in some of the focus groups in Massachusetts, people don't believe that.''

John Holohan, the author of a study conducted at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank, that gamed out various different models for health care reform in Massachusetts several years ago, does not believe that either the Clinton or the Obama plan will eliminate the problem of the uninsured altogether. 'We would all be very happy if we got down to one and a half per cent,' he said.

Speech to the Group Health Association of America, February 15, 1994.

Dembner, Alice, "Health Plan May Exempt 20% of the Uninsured"

"There's good evidence," Mr. Kingsdale said, "whether it's buying auto insurance or wearing seat belts or motorcycle helmets, that mandates don't work 100 percent."

The state reports that 200,000+ additional people have acquired health insurance in Massachusetts in the last year. http://www.mahealthconnector.org . There are several different estimates of the number of uninsured individuals in Massachusetts in 2006 (prior to implementation of the mandate. The most commonly used estimate comes from researchers from the Urban Institute who concluded that the number of uninsured was around 500,000. The Census Bureau says there are 650,000 uninsured in Massachusetts. A different team of Urban Institute researchers estimated a number that was roughly 15 percent higher than the Census Bureau number.

Insurance Research Council, 6/28/06

http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/30/post_2.php

[cuke]

106. Obama has said that his plan is both universal and NOT universal

Your post does nothing to refute this:

"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

[ClarkUSA]

96. As soon as you tell me how Clinton plans to enforce her mandate.

Really, don't you have better things to do than throw food at me? If you have questions, contact the Obama campaign. You are mistaking me for someone
who cares about your questions.

[cuke]

101. Trying to cover for Obama's lies about his health plan which is NOT universal

During this presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has had a variety of explanations for why his health care plan leaves 15 million people uninsured. Here's a sample —

Sen. Obama claimed his health care plan 'guarantees coverage for every American':


"Today I want to lay out the details of that plan - a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care." (Sen. Obama Remarks, 5/29/07)

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/29/cutting_costs_and...


THEN Sen. Obama admitted his health care plan would not provide coverage for every American:


"During his speech, Obama said, 'I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office.' But after his speech today, Obama told me his plan really isn't 'universal.' He said it's 'virtually universal.'" (MSNBC's First Read, 5/29/07)

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/29/20691...


THEN his spokesman said Sen. Obama believed the decision to require coverage should be left to the states:


"An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator now believes that the issue of mandates should be left to the states to decide, while the federal government focuses on bringing down healthcare costs for everyone. 'As he looked into healthcare, he saw that a mandate was not the answer,' Burton said. 'Good things are happening in the states. The federal government should not stunt what's going on with the states.'" (ABC's Political Radar, 5/31/07)

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_h...


THEN Sen. Obama's advisors said they considered mandates; decided it was too ambitious and unpopular with middle class voters:


"Like so many in the Democratic Party, Obama's advisers remember all too well how excessive ambition killed the Clinton plan politically. They don't want to make that mistake again. They fear a mandate sounds scarier to the public, particularly middle-class voters." (The New Republic, 6/3/07)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/01/opinion/main2...


THEN Sen. Obama said his plan provides health care for everyone:


"Well, let's talk about health care right now because the fact of the matter is -- the fact of the matter is that I do provide universal health care." (CNN, 11/15/07)

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.ht...



THEN Sen. Obama admitted his plan does not cover everyone, said he would be 'happy to consider a mandate' later:


"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[ClarkUSA]

105. Fact Check: Why The Obama Health Insurance Plan Covers More People More Rapidly Than The Clinton Pla

As we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses, the first casualty of an increasingly competitive campaign has become the facts about each candidate's health care plan.

Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton took the unusual step of flying from South Carolina to Iowa with the specific purpose of launching her most pointed attack at Senator Obama to date. At her event, she said her plan covered every American and that Obama's universal plan "flunked the truth in labeling test." You don't have to dig too deep into the numbers to see that:

1) Despite her repeated claims, Senator Clinton's plan does not cover every American, in fact it leaves 15-20 million Americans without health insurance

2) Her claim that Obama's plan leaves out 15 million Americans is highly misleading.

3) The Obama plan would cover more people more quickly than the Clinton plan.


I. Both Obama And Clinton Have Serious Plans For Achieving Universal Health Insurance, But They Are Based On Different Diagnoses Of The Problem

Senator Obama's plan is based on the premise that Americans desperately want health insurance, but can't afford it. In his view, universal coverage cannot be achieved unless we make insurance affordable and enrollment as close to automatic as possible, and so he believes that the focus of the reform effort must be on affordability and accessibility.

Obama has allocated sufficient resources in his plan to cover 100 percent of the population and has said that if we implement his plan and find that there is a tiny percent of Americans who still lack insurance, he will figure out why they are falling through the cracks and get them covered.

Senator Clinton has implied that by including a mandate she will automatically get to universal coverage. Experts agree that this is not true. Indeed, Senator Clinton herself acknowledged this fact when she gave a speech in 1994 criticizing the same individual mandate she now supports:

'The only examples we have of individual mandates are those like auto insurance requirements in many states where, in spite of the fact that the state has access to all drivers through the licensing process, literally thousands and even hundreds of thousands of drivers remain uninsured in states with such an individual mandate.'

It would be extremely unfair to enact a mandate before we make health care affordable—which could take several years. And even once a mandate is in place, the evidence suggests that millions of Americans would need to be exempted and that millions more would not comply.


II. The Evidence Suggests That the Clinton Plan Will Leave 15 to 20 million People Without Health Insurance.

Senator Clinton has repeatedly refused to say how she will enforce her mandate. Even if we assume that she will ultimately propose some substantial penalty for people who do not buy health insurance, the experience from auto insurance and in Massachusetts—the only state that has ever enacted a health insurance mandate—suggests that she will fall far short of universal coverage.

First, Massachusetts has exempted almost 20 percent of the uninsured from the mandate because at today's prices, health insurance is simply too expensive even with the large subsidies provided. Any national mandate would need to do the same.

Second, Massachusetts is not going to achieve 100 percent compliance even among those required to purchase health insurance--and that's in a program with a clear enforcement mechanism. The director of the Massachusetts plan said this quite clearly in a recent New York Times article. While it is difficult to estimate precisely how far short of 100 percent Massachusetts will fall, particularly because we are in only the first year of implementation, the numbers so far suggest that between 30 and 40 percent of the uninsured have complied with the mandate.

Further, the majority of those were people who were automatically enrolled by the state. Among those who needed to take action to enroll, the number is much lower. Even if Massachusetts does better and ends up with only 10 to 20 percent who refuse to comply, those numbers would translate to another 5 to 10 million people uncovered nationwide.

This number of people without health insurance is completely consistent with the evidence from the one kind of insurance where mandates are common – automobile insurance. Although 47 states mandate that everyone have insurance, almost 15 percent of drivers do not.

The bottom line is that the Clinton approach is likely to leave somewhere between 15 and 20 million people uninsured, even with a stronger enforcement mechanism than she currently seems comfortable with.


III. Clinton's Misleading Attack on Obama's Plan

Hillary Clinton repeatedly says that Obama's plan leaves out 15 million people. This estimate does not take into account several features of the Obama plan including his program to immediately cover of all children and his program to actually get coverage for young adults 18-25 (who are the least insured and most likely to disregard a mandate).

Senator Clinton also leaves out the fact that the number includes around 7 million undocumented immigrants who are not covered by her plan either.

The reality is that Obama's plan will cover every American because it cuts costs aggressively, makes enrollment virtually automatic, and because he has allocated sufficient resources to ensure that if after implementation there are some Americans who still don't have health care, he can find a way to get them covered


IV. The Obama Plan Will Cover More People Than The Clinton Plan Will, And Will Do So More Quickly

The main reason that people are uninsured in America today is that they cannot afford health insurance. The Obama plan does more to control costs than the Clinton plan does, and it will cover more people, because:

The Obama plan makes much more significant up front investments in information technology than Senator Clinton's plan does;
the Obama plan provides real reinsurance to alleviate the cost of catastrophic illnesses for all employers and employees, a feature the Clinton plan lacks;
The Obama plan would increase the coverage among young adults by allowing them remain on their parents' insurance up to age 25 regardless of educational status.
The Obama plan would mandate health care coverage for children with a specific enforcement mechanism.


IV. We Cannot Afford To Fail

All of the leading Democrats have put forth serious proposals for achieving universal health insurance. But we have to get the job done. Failure to pass a plan, no matter how well designed on paper, will leave all 47 million uninsured Americans still uninsured. The key question is which person and which plan has the best chance of bringing the country together to actually get the job done. Passing major health care reform requires a president who can bring people together, take on the special interests, and do it in an open and transparent way. On all these measures, Barack Obama's record is unrivaled in this campaign.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The truth is that neither the Obama plan, nor the Clinton plan, guarantees 'universal coverage' for all Americans, although they both aspire to this goal. Let's look at the Clinton plan first. MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber, one of Clinton's health care advisers, describes her plan as a 'universal coverage' plan, in contrast to the Obama plan, which he terms a 'universal access' plan. But he also acknowledges that the Clinton plan will not include everybody. 'Any system that does not have a single payer will not have 100 per cent coverage,' he told me, when I reached him after the Las Vegas debate. 'But you can come very close.' ... The system proposed by Clinton is more analagous to the government-subsidized private insurance system in the Netherlands, where roughly one and a half per cent of the population is estimated to fall through the cracks.'

'Robert Blendon, director of the Harvard Program on Public Opinion and Health and Social Policy, estimates Obama's plan would end up covering 5 percent to 10 percent fewer individuals than Clinton's. But that's assuming that it's possible for Clinton to require everyone to purchase insurance. Blendon suspects that it isn't. 'At the end of the day,' he tells FactCheck.org, 'it's not going to be everybody. We have no idea what the actual falloff would be.' ... Preliminary data from Massachusetts, which implemented a sweeping health insurance plan last year, is showing that many people would rather remain uninsured than purchase a stripped-down plan. 'People always say having some insurance is better than no insurance,' Blendon says. 'It turns out, in some of the focus groups in Massachusetts, people don't believe that.''

John Holohan, the author of a study conducted at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank, that gamed out various different models for health care reform in Massachusetts several years ago, does not believe that either the Clinton or the Obama plan will eliminate the problem of the uninsured altogether. 'We would all be very happy if we got down to one and a half per cent,' he said.

Speech to the Group Health Association of America, February 15, 1994.

Dembner, Alice, "Health Plan May Exempt 20% of the Uninsured"

"There's good evidence," Mr. Kingsdale said, "whether it's buying auto insurance or wearing seat belts or motorcycle helmets, that mandates don't work 100 percent."

The state reports that 200,000+ additional people have acquired health insurance in Massachusetts in the last year. http://www.mahealthconnector.org . There are several different estimates of the number of uninsured individuals in Massachusetts in 2006 (prior to implementation of the mandate. The most commonly used estimate comes from researchers from the Urban Institute who concluded that the number of uninsured was around 500,000. The Census Bureau says there are 650,000 uninsured in Massachusetts. A different team of Urban Institute researchers estimated a number that was roughly 15 percent higher than the Census Bureau number.

Insurance Research Council, 6/28/06

http://www.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/11/30/post_2.php

[cuke]

107. Why don't you explain why Obama said his plan is NOT universal

before he said it was universal, which was after he said it wasn't universal which was after he said it was universal

[ClarkUSA]

117. As soon as you explain why Clinton's BS Mandatory Private Insurance Plan has no mandate enforcement.

*crickets*

[cuke]

119. Still no explanation for Obama's lies about his health care plan

One day it is universal, next day it's not.

And you won't even try to explain it. All you can do is attack Clinton. Hillary-Hate is all you've got

[BootinUp]

89. At least its about a real issue

Obama's healthcare plan vs. hers. I think people want to hear this debated vigorously.

[Cameron27]

91. It should be debated vigorously.

It's one of the biggest issues out there, and we need the truth about all the plans being floated out there.

[zulchzulu]

100. I watched the ad and it's much ado about nothing from Team Hillary

Certainly if Team Hillary wants to make a big deal about the ad and it's shown more for free in news coverage, well that's just fine with me. The viewer will see a very good 30 second ad.

Keep playing it for free!

:rofl:

[cuke]

102. Here's what they'll be playing in the news

During this presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has had a variety of explanations for why his health care plan leaves 15 million people uninsured. Here's a sample —

Sen. Obama claimed his health care plan 'guarantees coverage for every American':


"Today I want to lay out the details of that plan - a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care." (Sen. Obama Remarks, 5/29/07)

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/29/cutting_costs_and...


THEN Sen. Obama admitted his health care plan would not provide coverage for every American:


"During his speech, Obama said, 'I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office.' But after his speech today, Obama told me his plan really isn't 'universal.' He said it's 'virtually universal.'" (MSNBC's First Read, 5/29/07)

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/29/20691...


THEN his spokesman said Sen. Obama believed the decision to require coverage should be left to the states:


"An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator now believes that the issue of mandates should be left to the states to decide, while the federal government focuses on bringing down healthcare costs for everyone. 'As he looked into healthcare, he saw that a mandate was not the answer,' Burton said. 'Good things are happening in the states. The federal government should not stunt what's going on with the states.'" (ABC's Political Radar, 5/31/07)

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_h...


THEN Sen. Obama's advisors said they considered mandates; decided it was too ambitious and unpopular with middle class voters:


"Like so many in the Democratic Party, Obama's advisers remember all too well how excessive ambition killed the Clinton plan politically. They don't want to make that mistake again. They fear a mandate sounds scarier to the public, particularly middle-class voters." (The New Republic, 6/3/07)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/01/opinion/main2...


THEN Sen. Obama said his plan provides health care for everyone:


"Well, let's talk about health care right now because the fact of the matter is -- the fact of the matter is that I do provide universal health care." (CNN, 11/15/07)

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.ht...



THEN Sen. Obama admitted his plan does not cover everyone, said he would be 'happy to consider a mandate' later:


"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[zulchzulu]

113. Nice cut n' paste...but his healthcare program beats Enforced Insurance By Insurance Companies

You want an ad that explains enforced healthcare programs that even people who can't afford it have to sign up or get fined, get the repo man on their ass and otherwise not comply with the healthcare insurance industry that Hillary is completely bought out by?

We can go there if you want.

For those under Obama's plan that can;t afford it, there's a couple things called Medicare and Medicaid. And guess what, the government isn't going to do the corrupt healthcare insurance industry's bidding...

[cuke]

125. Still no explanation for Obama's lies about his health care plan

One day it's universal, next day it's not.

One day Obama is for mandates (his plan even includes mandates) and the next day he's too scared to be for mandates.

And his plan depends on private insurers

[Mass]

108. f she wants to talk about lying, she should talk to Bill about his claim about Iraq.

...

[cuke]

110. Another Hillary Hater who can't defend Obama's lies

and right wing rhetoric

[Mass]

112. No, I am making a point on the title...

For the rest, if you look at the link at the bottom of my page, you will learn what I think about both plans and I would tell you if I thought you could read.

And for those who care about fact and not about presidential candidates, a good example among many of why mandates are not enough, and remember, it is NOT fiction, it is what is currently happening in MA, the only state with mandates.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/09/17/health_reform_failure/

We are afraid of socialized medicine, but we already have it, just managed by private entities, the HMOs. So, stop beating around the bush. Mandates without single payer are only good to private insurances.

[cuke]

114. Still no explanation for Obama's lies about his health care plan

Obama has said that his plan is universal and that his plan is NOT universal

How can they both be true?

[Mass]

115. Yawn.

[cuke]

121. Explaining Obama's lies and right wing rhetoric must be very tiring

[Mass]

124. You do not even botheri reading what I answer, so why should I bother ...

I could not care less your stupid talking points about 2 health plans that are not worth it. If you want real healthcare, go for the only thing that is actually working elsewhere in the world: single payer healthcare.

[cuke]

126. Because you haven't explained Obama's lies and use of rightwing rhetoric

because you can't

[Mass]

127. Nice to see you are able to repeat your talking points. You surely learned well from the right.

Unable to talk about substance.

[cuke]

128. Nice to see you still can't answer the simple question

You learned a thing or two yourself, but you haven't learned the rules

[Mass]

129. Single payer - Is there anything you cannot understand in these single two words?

For the rest, I could not care less your pathetic arguments. If healthcare was the only reason I was not going to support Hillary, I could reconsider the issue, but it is far from being the only one, so, who cares?

[cuke]

130. Still no explanation for Obama's lies about his health care plan

Not surprised. You always bug out

[Mass]

131. Why should I? Why should I even care?\nt

[cuke]

133. If you don't know why you should care about the truth

I don't know how to explain that to you

[Mass]

138. Truth? Who is talking about truth in this thread?

:rofl: As I said, if you were, you would be offended by Bill Clinton's latest statement on how he was opposed forever to attacking Iraq.

:rofl: :rofl:

[zulchzulu]

116. Anytime a Hillary supporter calls someone a "Hillary Hater", they lose all credibility

It is the most sophmoric of all the Hillaryland excuses to try to stop political dialogue.

Be more intelligent...

[Name removed]

122. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CTLawGuy]

109. the criticism is misleading

Obama's plan is based on filling gaps in coverage. If implemented it would allow everyone to be covered.

------------
Obama’s plan will provide affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for all Americans by:
• Making available a new national health program that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy
affordable health care similar to that available to federal employees. No one will be turned away or
charged more due to illness, and everyone who needs it will receive a subsidy for their premiums.
• Making available a National Health Insurance Exchange to reform the private insurance market. Any
American could enroll in participating private plans, which would have to provide comprehensive
benefits, issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums.
• Ensuring all of the 9 million currently uninsured children have affordable, high-quality health coverage
• Expanding Medicaid and SCHIP and ensuring they continue to serve their critical safety net function.
• Requiring employers to make a meaningful contribution to the health coverage of their employees.
• Requiring that insurance plans accept all applicants and do not charge different prices based on
pre-existing conditions.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/HealthPlanOverview.pdf

---------


The two major sources of gaps in coverage are from:

(1) uninsurable people
(2) people who don't make enough to afford private insurance or who don't have insurance through work, but make too much to qualify for Medicaid.

He says clearly that no one would be turned away from the federal employee program due to illness. Also he gives subsidies to anyone who needs them. They subsidy would be enough to reach everyone in the gap. (If your income is really low, you'd qualify for medicaid anyway).

This would cover anyone who needs it.

I challenge anyone to say who would not be covered by this plan.

Yes, it is not technically a "universal health care" plan because it doesn't mandate that everyone get coverage. But the criticism is dishonest becuause it makes insurance available to everyone, even if it doesn't force it on them.

[cuke]

111. Even Obama admits that his plan is not universal

During this presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has had a variety of explanations for why his health care plan leaves 15 million people uninsured. Here's a sample —

Sen. Obama claimed his health care plan 'guarantees coverage for every American':


"Today I want to lay out the details of that plan - a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American, but also brings down the cost of health care." (Sen. Obama Remarks, 5/29/07)

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/05/29/cutting_costs_and...


THEN Sen. Obama admitted his health care plan would not provide coverage for every American:


"During his speech, Obama said, 'I will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of my first term in office.' But after his speech today, Obama told me his plan really isn't 'universal.' He said it's 'virtually universal.'" (MSNBC's First Read, 5/29/07)

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/05/29/20691...


THEN his spokesman said Sen. Obama believed the decision to require coverage should be left to the states:


"An Obama spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator now believes that the issue of mandates should be left to the states to decide, while the federal government focuses on bringing down healthcare costs for everyone. 'As he looked into healthcare, he saw that a mandate was not the answer,' Burton said. 'Good things are happening in the states. The federal government should not stunt what's going on with the states.'" (ABC's Political Radar, 5/31/07)

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/05/obama_h...


THEN Sen. Obama's advisors said they considered mandates; decided it was too ambitious and unpopular with middle class voters:


"Like so many in the Democratic Party, Obama's advisers remember all too well how excessive ambition killed the Clinton plan politically. They don't want to make that mistake again. They fear a mandate sounds scarier to the public, particularly middle-class voters." (The New Republic, 6/3/07)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/01/opinion/main2...


THEN Sen. Obama said his plan provides health care for everyone:


"Well, let's talk about health care right now because the fact of the matter is -- the fact of the matter is that I do provide universal health care." (CNN, 11/15/07)

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/15/se.02.ht...



THEN Sen. Obama admitted his plan does not cover everyone, said he would be 'happy to consider a mandate' later:


"Now, the argument they’ll make is there’s going to be maybe a handful of people who even if it’s affordable still won’t buy it. And my attitude is, you know what, I’m happy to consider a mandate once we get to affordability." (New Hampshire Public Radio, 11/21/07)


THEN Sen. Obama said he'll figure out how to cover everyone later:


"If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable, then we will figure out how to make sure that everybody's got coverage. Period." (Des Moines Register, 11/25/07)

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=...

[ClarkUSA]

120. He never did. You are plainly spinning cherrypicked quotes out of context.

I read every link and that's what you're doing. Sad.

[cuke]

123. "If we see there are people who are still not covered when we make it affordable"

If it's universal, why would there still be uninsured people?

Obama is talking out of both sides of his mouth. And you can't defend it

[ClarkUSA]

132. Because people fall through the cracks in any government program

Duh.

[cuke]

134. That's not what Obama said

but you'll say anything. You even accused an Obama supporter of being a Clinton supporter because you didn't like what she said

[ClarkUSA]

140. Yes it is - you can spin it all you want but people can read the FACTS for themselves now

:nopity:

[CTLawGuy]

144. it seems like the impetus for calling it "not universal"

is that not everyone would choose to buy health insurance. Like I said, that's misleading. It's universal if everyone was able to purchase affordable care if they choose to.

[illinoisprogressive]

135. Nice try, Ms. Healthcare of 1993.

[cuke]

136. Sen Byrd is responsible for the health care failure of 1993

[zulchzulu]

139. Maybe Hillary could do an honest ad on how she'll force healhcare insurance through mandates

I'd love to see that honest ad. I could do one for her if she wants.

[Evergreen Emerald]

143. look on her website. The details are there for you to see

If you really want to, that is.