Freitag, 28. September 2007
Eines der wichtigsten Gesprächsthemen dieser Tage im US-Wahlkampf ist Hillary Clintons Vorschlag zur Reform des Gesundheitswesens, bei deren Versuch Ehemann Bill in den 90er Jahren so kläglich gescheitert war. Diesmal soll alles unkompliziert und unbürokratisch werden, schreiben die Kommentatoren:
“The word of the day was “choice,” printed dozens of times on the backdrop behind Hillary Rodham Clinton, who announced her “American Health Choices Plan” to remake American health care (in part by using a “health choices menu”). ‘This is not government-run. There will be no new bureaucracies. You can keep the doctors you know and trust. You keep the insurance you have if you like it,’ Clinton said, though aides later conceded that administering the plan would require hiring more government workers. ‘This plan expands personal choices and increases competition to keep costs down.’
Richtig konkret wurde Hillary nicht in den vergangenen Tagen, auch nicht während der Debatte der Demokraten rund um das Gesundheitswesen, bei der Gegenkandidat Barack Obama fehlte. Wie Hillarys Plan funktioniert? Auf freiwilliger Basis mit einer Steuererleichterung für die, die sich die Versicherung nicht leisten können: „Clinton, like Edwards but unlike Obama, would mandate that everyone buy insurance and would offer tax credits to those who can't afford it. In exchange for being compelled to cover everyone, companies would get millions of new, healthy customers, who in turn would get coverage at reasonable rates.” Und: “Under her plan, people would keep their existing insurance, but they could also buy into the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program or a Medicare-like plan.”
Im Grunde geht es, so die politischen Beobachter in Washington, Clintons Team zunächst auch nur darum, zu zeigen, dass Hillary in einem der wichtigsten Politikfelder mit den dringlichsten Aufgaben nicht auf die Nase fallen wird wie weiland ihr Ehemann. So sieht es auch der Observer:
“Hillary Clinton’s skillful introduction of her new health care plan demonstrated why she is the most formidable Democrat running for president. It also suggested that if victorious, she will not be defeated so easily by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries as she and her husband were the last time they tried to reform the dysfunctional American medical system.”
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