Clinton's Health Plan May Require Tapping Into Wages
Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she might be willing to have workers' wages garnisheed if they refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans.
The New York senator has criticized presidential rival Barack Obama for pushing a health plan that would not require universal coverage. Clinton has not always specified the enforcement measures she would embrace, but when pressed during a television interview, she said: "I think there are a number of mechanisms" that are possible, including "going after people's wages, automatic enrollment."
Clinton said such measures would apply only to workers who can afford health coverage but refuse to buy it, which puts undue pressure on hospitals and emergency rooms. Under her plan, she said, health care "will be affordable for everyone" because she would limit premium payments "to a low percent of your income."
Clinton also suggested Obama would be more susceptible to Republican attack ads in a general election because he has not been scrutinized for years as she has.
"I've been through the Republican attacks over and over again," she said on ABC's "This Week." When Obama was elected to the Senate from Illinois in 2004, she said, he "didn't face anyone who ran attack ads" comparable to those aimed at her.
Obama countered, saying Republicans and independents would be more inclined to oppose Clinton than him in a general election.
The problem is "not all of Senator Clinton's making," he said, "but I don't think there's any doubt that the Republicans consider her a polarizing figure," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Keep reading here.





Loading comments…

AP | CHARLES BABINGTON | February 3, 2008 03:46 PM