Clinton's health care plan(questions

[candy331]

Why was the health care plan proposals by Clinton so vehemently opposed? Did the Democrats support Clinton in the proposals? I know that Hillary was taken to task for being the wife of the President working on health care rather than hosting teas but the country still needed someone if not her to start healthcare reform so why didn't Democrats get behind a/some member/s in congress to work on it like Kennedy/Kerry? Why would Democrats be so apt to support a rush through bill for Bush if they did not support even the non hurry proposals from Clinton admin?

I am just trying to understand some of the Democratic members in congress thinking and it is getting harder and harder to do.

[Snow]

1. This is a vast oversimplification, but my understanding is that

Newt & company took on the task of defeating the thing no matter what it looked like. Everything that they flung at it was just window-dressing to that end. In my opinion, it was way too conservative, with the pandering to the insurance industry and so on, but if it had passed, we'd be in a much better position with health care than we are today. Probably just as well it didn't pass; now I think more people are open to a radical (meaning from the roots up) solution.

[Bandit]

2. It was labeled as another "Big Guvment" Program

It was designed to benefit business because it was an insurance program and not Single Payer Health Care. It was designed to get the lowest possible insurance rates and give them to everyone instead of just IBM or General Motors. It would have been a hell of a lot better than what we have but it was a Democratic sponsored Bill. That was all it took in the poisonous atmosphere that was generated by Newt and Rush and the likes of them. The Democrats were afraid of the huge noise machine of the republicans so backed down and wouldn't give their support. The Democrats are still afraid of the huge GOP noise machine and see how they legislate because of it. We are definitely the party of cowards. The GOP has us pegged right on that one. That is why Clark and Dean are so popular now. They aren't afraid to tell it like it is. All of the others are quaking in their boots.

[papau]

3. Insurance companies always break agreements - in 72-73 Nixon

have an agreement with the Insurance industry (ACLI, the top 20, and the top 5 health insurance companies) to go to universal life - but once they saw him in trouble over watergate - all bets were off.

Again in 93-94, Hillary worked hard to get insurance industry OK for the new health plan - and she got it - and then they stabbed her in the back once the plan was released. The "complicated" Hillarycare was 60% LESS complicated than the current system - but that factoid never got media print or air time. Indeed we (yes - while I did not cheer, these were my buddies) were crowing about how we had gotten a Bill Clinton committment to stop universal life, in return for the HMO approach being not opposed by the industry.

The Dem thinking was to not get burned by huge corporate money being used against you - and you can see how it pays to be trusting of the corporate promises if you are a Democratic Party member.