1993: Bill Clinton assigns Hillary to figure out how to reform health care. She comes up with a plan that gets everyone on to some kind of private plan, no mention of a public option. The public revolts against her and I got the feeling it was much because the public felt she overstepped her boundaries as a first lady, but that would be just my interpretation. She was treated horrifically by Republicans – just horribly – and everyone abandoned the idea. It was so ridiculous that the guy that ran against Hillary Clinton for Senate the first time around – about 8 years later – actually used it as his main campaign slogan – something like “and you know how she screwed up that health care plan”.
Well you know what? In 2005, Congress passed prescription coverage for Medicare beneficiaries without funding it. But the interesting part about that plan? It was the EXACT model that Hillary Clinton came up with for the entire health care system in 1993. Why did nobody notice? Probably because nobody was still in the news that could have made the connection between the two. I receive Medicare, so I realized how it was working and remembered it sounded exactly like the 1993 Clinton plan.
This is Clinton’s speech on health care on September 22, 1993, 8 months into his first year of office:
This is Clinton’s first major issue when he was in the office. Clinton was from a poor family and his step father was a drunker. He knew how difficult for people without health care, so his first prority when he became president was health care.
Because of the huge opposition from drug companies and GOP, his legislature even didn’t get approved in House. Clinton also even didn’t get support from his demoratic party. He was too in a rush to raise the issue. He didn’t take more time to persuade his own party member to support his health care.
The issue is good for Clinton administration, but it is not good time to raise this issue. At the time there were not so many people without health care. Unlike in 2009, 30 million people are without health care.
Obama administration passed health care this year. It’s because it is right time to raise the right issue. Health care reform is Obama’s major issue when he was running presidency.