Al Gore Says Potential Presidential Campaign Would Feature ‘Bolder’ Ideas, Such as Single-Payer Health System Proposal
Former Vice President Al Gore, who is still deciding whether to run for the presidency in 2004, on Nov. 20 said that his potential campaign would offer "bolder ideas" -- such as a single-payer health care system -- than his failed 2000 presidential campaign, the Los Angeles Times reports (Brownstein, Los Angeles Times, 11/21). On a book tour in New York City last week, Gore said that he has "reluctantly come to the conclusion" that a single-payer health care system would serve as the most effective proposal to provide universal health coverage in the United States. At that time, Gore did not offer details about what kind of system he would support. In the past he has said such a system would be too costly (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/15). In recent interviews, Gore has said that in contrast to the Canadian single-payer system, a U.S. version "should be primarily a private-run system" (Harwood, Wall Street Journal, 11/21). In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Gore also offered a "blistering assessment" of the performance of President Bush over the past two years (Sandalow, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/21). He told the Times that the "country is worse off" in a number of areas, such as health care (Los Angeles Times, 11/21). Gore said that he has not decided whether to seek the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination but would make a decision no later than January (San Francisco Chronicle, 11/21). In a Time/CNN survey last week, 53% of Democrats said that they would support Gore in 2004, more than five times the percentage who named other potential candidates (Los Angeles Times, 11/21).
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Nov. 21 aired the second part of an interview with Gore in which he discussed several issues, including the U.S. health care system (Edwards, "Morning Edition," NPR, 11/21). The full interview is available in RealPlayer online. In addition, extended NPR coverage of Gore is available online.
