Ongoing struggle for healthcare
Megan Cruz/Online Reporter
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Election Coverage
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With less than a month left until the Iowa caucuses begin; an issue important among many voters is healthcare. Healthcare has become a hot button issue, especially between the two leading Democratic candidates: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Healthcare has been under much scrutiny in the United States recently. With the cost of health insurance rising quickly, it is difficult for low-income families to afford health insurance.
"Personally, I think universal healthcare is achievable and beneficial for the United States today," says sophomore foreign language major, Mary Sheffler. "Universal healthcare has become a standard for industrialized countries, and the United States is falling behind."
With Universal healthcare, taxes are raised to compensate for free healthcare nationwide. Neither candidates before have considered Obama nor Clinton supports universal healthcare in this sense, but it an option and many Americans believe it is the direction this country needs to go. Clinton's plan is universal in that she plans to make having health insurance mandatory among all Americans.
Both candidates plans include the forming of a public insurance plans, which are similar to but separate from Medicare. To fund these public insurance plans each candidate intends to roll back President Bush's tax cut for people with incomes over $250,000. Despite the disputes between Obama and Clinton, their healthcare plans are not that different.
Obama and Clinton both are proposing mandatory health insurance, with Obama's biggest criticism being that with his plan insurance is only mandatory for children. For people who cannot afford the high cost of health insurance both intend on creating an affordable plan similar to those available to members of congress.
With Obama's plan, Clinton accuses him of leaving 15 million people uninsured, but Obama says that is untrue and that only 3 million would be uninsured, and that is if they just chose to not buy an insurance plan, not because it would be unavailable to them. Clinton's plan makes health insurance mandatory among all Americans, but they get to choose which plan suits their needs or keep their current plan.
While Clinton focuses on making healthcare mandatory to all citizens of the United States, Obama has decided to put all of his energy into making healthcare more affordable and therefore more available to Americans.
"If you look at the list of all the nations that are leading in healthcare, we are no where near the top," says sophomore business major, John Neitz, "considering we have one of the best economies and militaries, I think we should be ashamed that we have such a poor healthcare system."
Healthcare has been under much scrutiny in the United States recently. With the cost of health insurance rising quickly, it is difficult for low-income families to afford health insurance.
"Personally, I think universal healthcare is achievable and beneficial for the United States today," says sophomore foreign language major, Mary Sheffler. "Universal healthcare has become a standard for industrialized countries, and the United States is falling behind."
With Universal healthcare, taxes are raised to compensate for free healthcare nationwide. Neither candidates before have considered Obama nor Clinton supports universal healthcare in this sense, but it an option and many Americans believe it is the direction this country needs to go. Clinton's plan is universal in that she plans to make having health insurance mandatory among all Americans.
Both candidates plans include the forming of a public insurance plans, which are similar to but separate from Medicare. To fund these public insurance plans each candidate intends to roll back President Bush's tax cut for people with incomes over $250,000. Despite the disputes between Obama and Clinton, their healthcare plans are not that different.
Obama and Clinton both are proposing mandatory health insurance, with Obama's biggest criticism being that with his plan insurance is only mandatory for children. For people who cannot afford the high cost of health insurance both intend on creating an affordable plan similar to those available to members of congress.
With Obama's plan, Clinton accuses him of leaving 15 million people uninsured, but Obama says that is untrue and that only 3 million would be uninsured, and that is if they just chose to not buy an insurance plan, not because it would be unavailable to them. Clinton's plan makes health insurance mandatory among all Americans, but they get to choose which plan suits their needs or keep their current plan.
While Clinton focuses on making healthcare mandatory to all citizens of the United States, Obama has decided to put all of his energy into making healthcare more affordable and therefore more available to Americans.
"If you look at the list of all the nations that are leading in healthcare, we are no where near the top," says sophomore business major, John Neitz, "considering we have one of the best economies and militaries, I think we should be ashamed that we have such a poor healthcare system."
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