Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton is currently serving her second term representing New York in the U.S. Senate. She is married to former President Bill Clinton, who was in office from 1993 to 2001. Clinton was born October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois.
Senator Clinton's Health Care Plan
Clinton calls her health care reform plan the "American Health Choices Plan." Her plan's main goal is to provide all Americans with affordable health insurance and health care choices, while expanding government-sponsored programs to achieve universal health coverage.
"Part of our health care system is the best in the world, and we should build on it; part of the system is broken, and we should fix it," said Senator Clinton.
No New Bureaucracy
Under Senator Clinton's plan, all citizens will be required to have health insurance. Low-income individuals and families will be covered by public programs such as Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Clinton emphasizes that her plan builds no new "bureaucracy," but rather expands on the existing public programs.
The Health Choices Plan also builds on the current employer-sponsored health coverage system. Businesses will be required to provide insurance for their employees or contribute a certain amount toward the costs of coverage. Small businesses can be eligible for government subsidies to help pay for insurance.
Increasing Access
Individuals will be able to purchase their health coverage from the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). The FEHBP is the program that provides insurance for the members of Congress. Lower-income Americans will have access to public coverage similar to Medicare plans through the FEHBP.
Senator Clinton will also prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage or unfairly raising rates because of health conditions.
She will fund her $110 billion plan by reducing unneeded spending and by rolling back President Bush's tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year.
Sources
New York Times: Wary of Past, Clinton Unveils a Health Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/us/politics/18clinton.html
HillaryClinton.com: American Health Choices Plan
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
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Health Plan Summary
Require all Americans to have health coverage
Expand public programs for low-income Americans
Require businesses to provide coverage or help employees pay for it
Require health insurance companies to accept all applicants