Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Capitol
Hill Watch
Sen. Rodham Clinton Says She Supports Universal
Health Care
The U.S., the "richest nation in the
world," must have "quality, affordable, accessible health care available
to every American," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said in an
interview on NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday. Rodham Clinton, who might
seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, said that she
continues to support proposals for universal health coverage. She said
that she "learned a lot about how we have to do this," adding that
proposals for universal health coverage require "everybody believing that
the system over the long run will function better for them and not for
somebody else." Rodham Clinton said, "I think we can do that now." In
addition, when asked about concerns over the cost of proposals for
universal health coverage, Rodham Clinton said, "If we had been governed
sensibly the last six years, with the balanced budget and the surplus
which this administration inherited, we would have been a long way down
the road to deal with Social Security and Medicare and all of the
financial challenges they pose" (Inskeep, "Morning Edition," NPR,
12/19).
Audio and a partial transcript of the segment is available online.