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''I learned that people who are satisfied with their current coverage want assurances that they can keep it. Part of our healthcare system is the best in the world, and we should build on it; part of the system is broken, and we should fix it,'' Clinton has said. |
The first point she and proponents of the plan are quick to spotlight is that her healthcare initiative allows those who are happy with their current plans to keep them.
"I learned that people who are satisfied with their current coverage want assurances that they can keep it. Part of our healthcare system is the best in the world, and we should build on it; part of the system is broken, and we should fix it," she has said.
Clinton also promises to implement her new plan without creating new and large government bureaucracies, something critics of her plan have long charged will weigh heavily upon taxpayers. She maintains that her proposal will both reduce costs and increase the value and quality of healthcare. (It is worth mentioning that Americans spend twice as much on healthcare costs as do Europeans because, as it turns out, we are twice as unhealthy as Europeans.)
The current population of uninsured and underinsured Americans tallies to over 62 million, a staggering 21% of the total population. Nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, while 16 million are underinsured. With employers less likely to be able or willing to pay for health insurance, the number of Americans without health insurance has risen considerably since 2000.
Clinton's health plan is comprised of several options, including the "America Health Choices Plan." Under this option, Americans would be given the choice to keep their existing coverage, while those without any coverage (as well as those at risk of losing coverage) would be given new options to choose from.
A second option is called the "Same Choice of Health Plan." This option would allow Americans to keep their existing coverage if satisfied or elect to enroll in the same quality healthcare program members of Congress belong to without creating any new bureaucracy by being implemented as part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). This option would offer a wide variety of plans to choose from, including a public plan similar to Medicare.
The "Guarantee of Quality Coverage" option takes an approach similar to that of the "Same Choice of Health Plan" option, guaranteeing benefits equal to those Congress receives, including mental health and dental benefits.
Many may balk at the prospect of universal healthcare because of its hefty $110 billion annual price tag. Clinton counters the criticism by vowing to fund the program not through new taxes but through repealing the Bush tax cuts for Americans making more than $250,000 per year and additional savings in the health industry.
The Clinton campaign's website also touts the following as virtues of its plan:
- Americans who are satisfied with the coverage they have today can keep it, while benefiting from lower premiums and higher quality.
- Reducing Costs: By removing hidden taxes, stressing prevention, and a focus on efficiency and modernization, the plan will improve quality and lower costs.
- Strengthening Security: The plan ensures that job loss or family illnesses will never lead to a loss of coverage or exorbitant costs.
- End to Unfair Health Insurance Discrimination: By creating a level playing field of insurance rules across states and markets, the plan ensures that no American is denied coverage, refused renewal, unfairly priced out of the market, or forced to pay excessive insurance company premiums.
Of course, we're still a year away from Election Day, so many more promises can be expected as the season continues. Whether or not any of them will actually reach fruition is another matter.
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