Health Care

Its kinda refreshing seeing the Democratic candidates debate each other on such a fundamental progressive issue like universal health care. After the nonstories and silliness of the attacks by Clinton before the last debate, I am happy the focus of the debate has returned to actual policy, which I think is fair game for candidates to draw distinctions.

However, maybe I'm such an Obama partisan that I so easily get on the defensive, I'm troubled by the manner of Clinton's tirade today. To paraphrase, she accuses Obama of Karl Rove style politics because of aggressive speeches and mailings where he claims, erronously in her campaign's view, that her health care plan has some deficiencies.

Hillary has attacked Obama's health care plan over the past month, fairly in my opinion, because she feels it is not "universal" in the true sense of the word. But whats good for the goose is good for the gander as well; I don't see why Obama can't respond by pointing out ways in which he feels his own plan is better. That hardly constitutes a Swift Boat style attack.

For the record, I am torn between both their plans, and find both their arguments legitimate. I personally favor a single payer not-for-profit government operated plan (as do most other progressives) but I know thats not going to happen in this country in my lifetime or yours. So I guess making healthcare as affordable and accessible as possible is whats important, and both candidates seem to emphasize these. Hillary's is technically more universal since it requires every one to buy into government provided health care (if they arent already covered) and imposes penalties to those who fail to buy health insurance. Obama doesn't impose such mandates (except for parents, who need to buy insurance for their kids). His argument is that people are without insurance because its too expensive, not because they don't want it. He also provides a government plan which anyone can buy into, and which doesn't discriminate.

I think both plans have merits, and I would love to see them actually debate this without it devolving into personal attacks. In any case, whichever of them ends up in the Oval Office has to negotiate with a Congress (likely Democratic, but with filibuster-happy Republicans) as well as a federal bureaucracy, so the eventual health care plan isnt going to be exacly what they are proposing now. Still, this is a debate worth having, if only to establish their progressive bona fides.

I'm worried that as the nomination further slips away from Hillary, she might be resorting to scorched earth campaigning, but I don't want to assume the worst. I guess a more optimistic way to look at it is that Obama needs as much practice as he can get in learning how to fight back against McCain in the general. Plus its not she's giving McCain ammo for the fall; I doubt McCain will be attacking Obama for proposing a health care plan that's not universal enough.