Lessons Learned the Hard Way: on Health Care


Ongoing battle against liberals nationalizing healthcare

The Clintons launched a health plan with much fanfare. When the issue was coverage for people who had no health insurance, their advocacy went well, for the government seemed a reasonable answer to the problem. When, however, the issue became one of Americans turning over their own health care to the government, that was a very different matter. What had seemed a bold gamble in 1993 was by summer, 1994 a complete bust.

But liberals never take no for an answer. By 1996 they were back with the Kennedy-Kassebaum plan. We were able to dilute it and to establish medical savings accounts; nevertheless, they had taken some steps toward more government-run health care. In 1997 the President had the idea of providing care for the poorest children. We were able to stop the Washington-based bureaucracy proposed and to ensure that any program would be run at the state level. The point is that the liberals one way and another managed to stay focused on expanding government involvement in health care.

Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.191-192 Jul 2, 1998

Focus on prevention; would save $14B with diabetes

Diabetes can be dramatically diminished as a threat to health by periodic testing & preventive education. The CDC estimates that if [diabetics] learn to monitor their blood sugar, control their diet, and generally take care of themselves, not only will their lives be immeasurably better, we will save $14 billion a year. The 1997 Medicare reforms include the first steps toward the kind of preventive health program for the nation’s diabetics that will ultimately save both lives and money.
Source: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, by Newt Gingrich, p.200-201 Jul 2, 1998

  • The above quotations are from Lessons Learned the Hard Way: A Personal Report, by Newt Gingrich.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Health Care:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
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Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Feb 25, 2019