Democratic Presidential Candidates Discuss Health Care, Entitlement Programs During AARP Debate

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 25 Sep 2007 - 10:00 PDT

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Five democratic presidential candidates on Thursday participated in a "freewheeling" debate in Davenport, Iowa, during which all five said that they would seek to expand health insurance to all U.S. residents, with most "arguing that costs could be largely offset by streamlining" Medicare, the Wall Street Journal reports.

During the debate, sponsored by AARP and moderated by PBS correspondent Judy Woodruff, former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) said of the health care proposal announced on Monday by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), "It's a very good proposal. It's very similar to mine" (Cooper, Wall Street Journal, 9/21). Edwards also said that pharmaceutical companies and health insurers, from which Clinton has accepted large campaign contributions, have prevented the implementation of proposals to expand health insurance to all residents. He added, "We desperately need a president who is not working on compromising with these people" (Glover, AP/Houston Chronicle, 9/21).

According to the Washington Post, Clinton "indirectly rebutted Edwards' claim that she was following him on the issue" by saying, "Well, been there, done that." She said, "It was kind of lonely back then. I think it's tremendous that we have unanimity here" (Kornblut, Washington Post, 9/21). She also said that lawmakers cannot remove pharmaceutical companies and health insurers from the health care reform process because the system, "unfortunately, makes a lot of money for a lot of people."

Other Candidates
Sen. Joe Biden (Del.) said, "It's not the plan, it's the man or woman pushing it" that will determine whether lawmakers can implement a proposal to expand health insurance to all residents (Leys, Des Moines Register, 9/21). He added, "What's changed to make you think Hillary is going to be able to put together the 15% of Republicans" required to implement such a proposal? (AP/Houston Chronicle, 9/21).

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said, "I'm the only one who has dealt with health care firsthand as a governor" (Lovley, The Politico, 9/20). Richardson said that he would fund his proposal to expand health insurance to all residents through savings from increased efficiency in the health care system and an increased focus on preventive care, rather than through increased taxes (Des Moines Register, 9/21).

Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) also participated in the debate. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) declined to participate because of his pledge to attend only debates sponsored by the Democratic Party.

AARP did not invite Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska) to participate in the debate because they do not have paid staff or a campaign office in Iowa (Wall Street Journal, 9/21).

Iowa Public Television video of the debate is available online (Iowa Public Television, 9/20).

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday reported on the debate. The segment includes comments from Clinton, Edwards, AARP Iowa Director Bruce Koeppl and AARP members who attended the debate (Russell, "Morning Edition," NPR, 9/21). Audio of the segment is available online.

Clinton Cost Estimate Low, Some Analysts Say
The Clinton proposal likely would cost significantly more than the $110 billion per year that she has estimated, according to some analysts, the Washington Times reports. Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute said, "I've never known of a new government program where the initial estimate wasn't less than it actually cost. Take those numbers with a grain of salt." He added, "All we know is that it is going to cost a lot and more than she says."

Clinton said that she would fund the proposal in part through the elimination of tax cuts proposed by President Bush and approved by Congress for households with annual incomes of more than $250,000 in part through savings from increased efficiency in the health care system and an increased focus on preventive care. However, "there's no evidence the hoped-for savings will actually save money, which will mean higher taxes," according to Tanner.

Clinton also said that the proposal would not establish "government-run" health insurance or more bureaucracy. However, Robert Moffit, director of health policy studies at the Heritage Foundation, in a draft analysis said, "Americans are getting an artful lesson in the new cosmetics of government control" through the proposal.

He added that the proposal would "enlist the energies of existing but juiced-up federal agencies" to "define the 'affordability' of coverage with mathematical precision." In addition, Moffit said the proposal would result in "a massive shift in regulatory authority ... to the federal government," which would "henceforth govern all health insurance products" and "standardize them for the nation" (Lambro, Washington Times, 9/21).

Dodd Criticizes Clinton
Dodd on Thursday in an interview criticized the way in which Clinton has highlighted her failed effort to expand health insurance to all residents in the promotion of her new proposal, the AP/Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Dodd said, "It should be far more than just a parable of personal growth and maturation. This was about an issue that was critically important to the county." He added, "It was a major effort that failed. There were a lot of reasons that it failed, not the least of which it was mismanaged terribly at the time."

In addition, Dodd said, "Not everyone succeeds in everything they try to do," but, "if you're going to highlight experiences, they ought to reflect the ability to produce results rather than what you tried and failed at" (Fouhy, AP/Cleveland Plain Dealer, 9/21).

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