Rudy Offers More Of The Same On Health Care

by Steve

Rudy Giuliani rolled out his health care prescription for America yesterday without any specifics and without telling anyone how he would pay for it. It is a plan that does nothing on its own to extend coverage to the 45 million Americans who don’t have insurance. Rudy’s “plan” continues Bush’s tax credit approach and leaves in place the corporate welfare for HMOs and pharmaceutical companies. He doesn’t explain how he will pay for the vouchers that will help low income families buy insurance or what level of insurance they can afford with his vouchers. Giving a family a tax credit up to $15,000 a year doesn’t help if they can’t afford insurance now because their employer doesn’t offer it or has dumped coverage. And he relies upon the marketplace to keep costs down so that families can afford insurance with these vouchers.

Giuliani repeats once again that Democratic proposals constitute a march to socialized medicine and a government-run health care system, which mirrors the attacks against the SCHIP expansion by the White House and GOP obstructionists today, who call covering more kids “Hillarycare”. Moreover, the GOP is resorting to lies against SCHIP by claiming that an expansion will let in undocumented immigrants.

The GOP candidates feel they still have to pander to their fractional extreme base with fears of Hillary Clinton from 1994 and socialized medicine, and are willing to go against kids and protect HMOs and drug companies. They are ignoring the majority of Americans who want major changes in our current dysfunctional system and are supportive of universal coverage. And they will lose the argument next year.