Last Thursday evening Democrat contenders for the presidency Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took part in a debate which started tamely enough, and then heated up when they started talking about various issues, including health care.

Clinton said she believes passionately in getting “quality affordable health care for every American.” She stressed that nobody should be left out. “I see the results of leaving people out. I am tired of health insurance companies deciding who will live or die in America. I believe that I am prepared and ready on day one to be commander in chief, to be the president, to turn our economy around, and to begin making a lot of these very difficult decisions that we will inherit from George Bush. And that is what I am putting forth to the voters. I think everybody here knows I’ve lived through some crises and some challenging moments in my life. And I am grateful for the support and the prayers of countless Americans.”

Obama explained that if a parent is not providing health care for his/her child, that parent is not being responsible. He stressed that under his plan adults will be able to afford quality health care. He said that the notion that he will leave 15 million people without health insurance is “simply not true.”

Clinton and Obama differ slightly on how they see Americans getting health care cover. Clinton proposes that all Americans should be required to get health insurance – she insists she, not him, is the candidate to pick if you want no American left out.

Obama has started to pick faults at Clinton’s health policy. He says that making insurance compulsory means imposing penalties for people who do not get it. Obama’s health policy requires a child’s parents to make sure that child is insured – parent’s who fail to do this will face penalties. However, Obama’s policy is less universal than Clintons’ – it does not cover every single person in the country.

Obama said on CNN “In order for you to force people to get health insurance, you’ve got to have a very harsh, stiff penalty. And Sen. Clinton has said that we will go after their wages.” Some say Obama is unwittingly providing the Republicans with ready scripts on this issue if Clinton does become the Democrat candidate.

One of the risks of putting all your cards on the table too early if you believe in universal health cover in this way is that picking at the required penalties for people who fail is easy and hits the headlines. Clinton’s great idea is very vulnerable to attack.

What are the similarities in Clinton’s and Obama’s health policies? They both believe –

— People with insurance will be allowed to keep their current cover
— People will be offered news options, such as a government plan along the lines of Medicare. The less you earn, the higher the subsidy
— Large employers will have to either pay for all or part of health care cover
— Insurance companies will not be allowed to cherry pick their customers
— Too many people in America do not have health care cover. Too many people in America have inadequate health care cover.

Obama said “My belief is the reason that people don’t have it (health cover) is not because they don’t want it, but because they can’t afford it.” He believes one of the great hurdles in the American system is simply cost – he would like to see the cost of health insurance coming down. In fact, he says he would consider forcing the insurance companies to lower their cost if they did not voluntarily do so.

In a nutshell, Clinton wants everyone to have cover, and punish those who don’t. Obama wants to make sure health cover is affordable, punishing just those who do not provide cover for their kids.

Obama accuses Clinton of forcing everybody to do what she wants – in Clinton’s case everyone will have to have cover, those who don’t will pay a penalty. However, most health care experts believe that Clinton’s plan is more likely to make sure the whole of America is covered. The problem is that Clinton’s policy is riskier during an election campaign (it is easier to criticize).

See the debate online on video (CNN)

Written by – Christian Nordqvist