2008 Democratic debate on the eve of Super Tuesday: on Health Care

Barack Obama: Against enforcement mechanism for mandating insurance

OBAMA: About 95% of our plans are similar. We both set up a government plan that would [cover] pre-existing conditions. We both want to emphasize prevention. But I emphasize reducing costs. If we provide subsidies to those who can’t afford it, they will buy it. Sen. Clinton has a different approach. She believes that we have to force people who don’t have health insurance to buy it, or there will be a lot of people who don’t get it. But if you are going to mandate the purchase of insurance & it’s not affordable, then there’s going to have to be some enforcement mechanism that the government uses. And they may charge fines to people who already don’t have health care, or take it out of their paychecks. And that, I don’t think, is helping those without health insurance. That is a genuine difference.

Hillary Clinton: Taxpayers pay for drug R&D, not drug companies

That’s why, while we’re looking at getting to universal health care, we also have to give Medicare the right to negotiate with drug companies to get the price down, to begin to rein in those costs across the board.

Hillary Clinton: Mandate insurance AND make it affordable for all

CLINTON: Contrary to that description, we actually will make it affordable for everyone, because my plan lowers costs aggressively; and improves quality for everyone. And the way it covers all of those who wish to participate is that it will provide subsidies, and it will also cap premiums, because we want to make sure that it is affordable for all. So, when you draw the distinction that, “Well, it’s not affordable, therefore people will have to be made to get it,” well, the fact is, it has been designed to be affordable with health care tax credits.