Clinton Formally Backs Public Option In Bid For Sanders Supporters

[NWCorona]

"Hillary Clinton will formally reaffirm on Saturday her support for creating a “public option” within Obamacare and allowing people to enroll in Medicare at age 55, campaign aides have told The Huffington Post.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will also call for a substantial increase in funding in medical clinics that serve low-income Americans.

While Clinton has long supported the creation of new government-run insurance options, and reiterated that support several times this year, this is the campaign’s first formal endorsement of the idea.

Not coincidentally, it comes three days before she is scheduled to make her first joint campaign appearance with Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.) ― who has championed government-run insurance and federally financed clinics throughout his career and during his own bid for the presidency."


http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5781064fe4b01edea78e1cf1

Here's another positive move for Hillary and the DNC.

[NCTraveler]

1. I'm missing something.

While Clinton has long supported the creation of new government-run insurance options, and reiterated that support several times this year, this is the campaign’s first formal endorsement of the idea.

[NWCorona]

5. I think the "long supported" means prior to this campaign.

Hillary has stood steadfast by the ACA.

[NCTraveler]

11. Before and during this cycle.

From your link.:
She made a public option part of her campaign proposal to reform health care in 2008.

The during part is covered in what I quoted above.

[NWCorona]

13. I know that and agreed with Hillary back then.

But this isn't 2008 and single payer has been absent from Hillary's 2016 campaign. Please provide a link and I'll gladly say that I was wrong.

This is something we should be celebrating and not arguing over. My comment wasn't a slam against Hillary or the DNC. The point I was making was that it was a positive move to help bring Bernie supporters into the tent.

[NCTraveler]

14. I did give you the link.

It's in your op along with the first reply to you.

You believe your own link when it says she is going to call for a public option next week. You don't believe your own link when it clearly says its a continuation of a long held policy of hers.

[NWCorona]

20. If you are saying that H started talking about this again in May of this year then ok, I agree

And where do I imply I don't believe or know Hillary policy position over the years.

I realize that Hillary was a trail Blazer in regards to health care and I never said otherwise. The facts remain that Hillary during this election, started off running lock step with the ACA. Only in In Virginia in May 2016 did she move the needle back to be more in line with her prior positions.

[NCTraveler]

23. She promoted it in '08.

She has promoted it this cycle.

"If you are saying that H started talking about this again in May of this year then ok, I agree".

Even you say it by including the word "again". As in a continuation. I'm still missing something. You are happy she changed though you are fully aware it has been a long held position of hers.

[NWCorona]

25. I'm happy that Hillary is formally backing this

And I'm hopeful that this move will help unite the party.

I'm not so sure now.

[NCTraveler]

27. It's nothing new for her.

As we both agree, she has promoted it in this and past campaigns.

The party is uniting faster than anyone thought it would. Clinton has the endorsement of the President, VP, Warren, and soon Sanders have endorsed, and the polls have us in a solid starting position. Plenty of work for us ahead.

[NWCorona]

28. I'm not nor have I ever said this is new to her.

The fact does remain that she did start this campaign lock step with the ACA. I should have been clear that Hillary did update her position in Feb

[NCTraveler]

29. I'm happy you like a long held position of hers. Nt

[NWCorona]

31. Believe it or not there's quite a few things I admire about Clinton

[nolawarlock]

38. Not so sure? Or hoping it won't?

[NWCorona]

39. It just seems that some want to argue. Even about things that we shouldn't.

I'm sure I'm somewhat guilty as well.

If I was hoping that I would have bounced.

[BobbyDrake]

17. Single payer and a public option are not the same thing. nt

[CrowCityDem]

18. Ummm...

But this isn't 2008 and single payer has been absent from Hillary's 2016 campaign.

The public option isn't a single-payer plan. That's why it's been absent. You can endorse the former without the latter.

[NWCorona]

24. Yes. It was a mixup on my part.

[Doctor_J]

34. actually she did not, and the contrast was made by her opponent in the 2008 primary

you must remember that. of course that opponent in the primary was not telling the truth when he said he would insist on a public option.

[Andy823]

2. Isn't that a good thing?

I thought that was her plan all through the primaries.

[NWCorona]

3. I think it's definitely a good thing.

[NCTraveler]

4. Much further back than the primaries.

She made a public option part of her campaign proposal to reform health care in 2008.

[puffy socks]

6. right.

She had already stated this was how she thought it best to build off the ACA rather than trashing it and attempting medicare for all.
How is this adopting Sanders' plan?

[CrowCityDem]

7. Positive move? She was never against it. The idea she was is a twisted caricature.

[NWCorona]

8. A "twisted caricature"? Where were you during the debates?

[JaneyVee]

9. She has since long before 2008.

[NWCorona]

10. Please provide a link where she advocated for single payer during this election

[JaneyVee]

12. I said public option:

From 2007: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=92180

Under section 1.

[NWCorona]

15. Sorry for the mistake but that is still from 2007. Do you have anything from this election?

And before you think I'm trying to argue with you please read post #13

[JaneyVee]

16. Here:

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/public-option-makes-comeback-clintons-endorsement

From this election.

[NCTraveler]

21. There is something very positive that just happened.

They just realized they think a long held position of Clintons is positive. Knowledge is power.

[JTFrog]

26. Maybe she should just pretend that all of the things she has been fighting for her whole life

are really just Bernie's ideas.

[seabeyond]

32. Ya know. Lol. Nt

[Chathamization]

19. Nice, but I don't think this is anything new. Here's an article from February:

Here:

A new version of Clinton’s campaign website suggests she won't try to push the public option through Congress, but instead will work with governors using existing flexibility under Obamacare "to empower states to establish a public option choice." That may be a reference to a waiver program taking effect in 2017 that lets states assert greater control over their health care systems.

Looking at her new statement, I don't see anything new about the public option (might have missed something, though).

[NWCorona]

22. Thanks for that link! I thought it was updated in May but it was in Feb

[Chathamization]

30. Sure thing. Worth noting that it seems like her plan is to support the change at the local level

through the waivers, which is the same way single-payer can happen (Colorado will be voting on single-payer this fall). I can't think of any reason why blue states shouldn't have at least a public option, if not single-payer. But there unfortunately doesn't seem to be much of a push in this direction.

Not sure how much focus Clinton will put on this issue, but the reaffirmation is at least a good sign. A strong focus on this (and on fixing a lot of the issues going on at the state level) could make a huge difference for a lot of people.

[whatthehey]

33. Guys - "REaffirmed" was used for a reason. Not a change, just a reinforcement

[PatrickforO]

35. This is great news! I am so happy that if my knee wasn't screwed up, I'd

dance a jig! And I'll tell you why.

Right now, I have shitty, rationed healthcare from an HMO that cares far more about retaining earnings and cutting costs than it does about providing adequate medical treatment for me. This piece of crap 'coverage' comes complete with financially crippling copays, and between me and my employer, costs a whopping 18.9% of my gross pay. These fucks have raised our premiums double digits over the last five years and we've watched the quality and amount of coverage go down, down, down, while its cost has gone up, up, up. So, basically, we've got 3,500 people working in my city for my employer who now are paying A LOT MORE for MUCH LESS.

I eagerly volunteered for Obama's campaign in '08 because he promised national healthcare, and silly me, I thought that meant that we'd be getting the same type of single payer healthcare system enjoyed by EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ADVANCED WORLD.

But...no...they said they didn't have enough votes, and instead of a tax-funded plan that would cover us all so we didn't have to be wheeled through the hospital's accounting department on the way to surgery so they could make sure we had the means to pay, we got ACA which is basically a Heritage Foundation plan from the '90s that amounts to huge corporate welfare for insurance companies. Am I happy with that? Fuck, no, nor am I grateful.

I always thought the thing about not having enough votes was so weak it was actually lame. I, along with millions of other Americans who campaigned for Obama because he promised national healthcare were just waiting for the call to march on Washington to pressure the do-nothings in Congress to actually do something that benefits us for a change. We could have made this happen!!!

But, no...no one said, but the real reason we didn't get single payer is because it goes against service monopoly provisions in the GATS service trade agreement of 1995. Seriously. The Dems we put in office didn't even have the intestinal fortitude to bring that up, try and renegotiate GATS or get a waiver from the other countries that signed. They could have - there are several pathways to this. But no.

So did I, and do I, feel betrayed? Oh, YES.

Is that why I was such a fervent Bernie supporter? ABSOLUTELY, among other policy stances, but single payer healthcare was the biggie.

This is why Clinton's statement now means so much. I was always going to vote for her, but if she keeps this up, I might actually support her during her campaign.

But you know what? Once elected, I don't want to hear excuses from any Dem we put in national office about how they just couldn't make it happen. I want results. I want single payer, because it is the right thing to do. It is the moral thing to do. We 320,000,000 Americans ALL have the basic human right to healthcare. Period. It is a public good that needs to be publicly funded and extended to ALL Americans.

I am not gonna shut up about it, and I'm not gonna stop pressuring my Representative (a real knuckle dragger, but I call his office at least once a month), and my two Senators. I have written Obama about this many times, and I have been hard on him for his support of TPP, which I honestly do not believe is in the interest of the American worker.

So there it is.

THANK YOU HILLARY CLINTON. WITH THIS YOU HAVE EARNED MY SUPPORT AND I WILL NO LONGER CONSIDER YOU 'THE LESSER OF EVILS.'

But that is conditional. With all due respect, please find a way to MAKE IT HAPPEN when you get in office.

[bluestateguy]

36. Obama went wet noodle on this

As soon as there was any hint of opposition to it, he chickened out and stopped talking about it in his speeches about the bill.

I think he thought that by giving up the public option it would generate some Republican support. Surprise, it didn't.

[DanTex]

37. The's always been in favor of a public option.

But if thinking of her long-held position as a "move" helps Sanders supporters get onboard, I guess that's fine.