Last night, Hilary Clinton said:
It is a fight I will continue until every single American has health insurance, no exceptions and no excuses
Americans don’t need “health insurance, no exceptions no excuses” — they need affordable health care, no exceptions and no excuses. I have very good health insurance, but if my wife were to lose her job, we would not. Forcing people to enroll in a new plan, find new doctors, and new clinics right after a job-loss is not an adequate solution. Sen. Clinton’s plan promises a tax credit to “ensure that securing quality health care is never a crushing burden for any working family” (p.7). That’s great, but it only helps working families — what happens if your are unemployed? Do you automatically get enrolled in Medicaid, which is not much of program as anyone on it can attest? Or do you keep your coverage for say, 6 months, or until you are re-employed?
The emphasis on insurance over care is a flaw in the debate. The focus should be on ensuring care.
It is not surprising that this distinction in lost on politicians. They have generous, tax-payer subsidized health plans that they keep until they qualify for Medicare.
