National Health Care

Hillary Clinton announced her support for a universal health care system. If Hillary is to become president she hopes to extend coverage to over forty-seven Americans that are currently without health care. She strongly believes that “every man, woman, child—should have quality, affordable health care in America” (Los Angeles Times). Though this may seem like a strong humanitarian rights move, it is only an attempt to correct what once failed. When Clinton served as the first lady to her husband she attempted to create a similar bill, yet was unsuccessful. It is this failure that “almost derailed Bill Clinton’s presidency and helped put Republicans in control of Congress for years to come” (Los Angeles Times). This incident alone is enough for the public to question Clinton’s affectability. For if she was not able to fallow through as first lady how will she be able to handle presidency. Thus, this idealistic goal is an attempt to gain the publics trust, and ensure them that she has learned from her failures, and will not allow the government to repeat the past. In a way she is drawing attention to her situation. Before anyone can even question her credibility, or bring up this past failure, she drew attention to it herself, and is ensuring the people that she is fighting to overcome it by saying, “Perhaps more than anybody else I know just how hard this fight will be” (Los Angeles Times). Universal health care is not a new issue among democratic presidential nominees, I propose that come 2008 it will be one of the leading debates. Hillary Clinton, however, may have the most to gain by highlighting this debate.

One can also not ignore the negative side effects of national health care. Taxes will be raised in order to compensate for this program, and patient care will decrease do to the magnitude of patients seeking care. Those that will feel the greatest effect from the health care are those that have to pay for it, through taxes, but do not even get to receive the benefits of health care. With Hillary’s plain if you are currently happy with your health care you can continue to pay for it, and not receive the government program. Regardless of this however you will still need to pay for it. To me this seems fare from fair. For some families will be taxed heavily for something they do not what and do not need. It seems like Hillary’s solution to the gross importation of people with health care to those that do not have it, is to force the people that do have it to pay for those that do not.