Democratic Presidential Candidates Clinton, Obama Discuss Plans To Expand Health Coverage During Ohio Debate

Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) on Tuesday discussed their health care proposals, as well as other issues, during a debate at Cleveland State University in Ohio, the New York Times reports (Healy/Zeleny, New York Times, 2/27). According to the Detroit News, the candidates had a 15-minute discussion on health care that "occasionally became heated but broke no new ground" (Trowbridge [1], Detroit News, 2/27).

Clinton said that Obama erroneously has "said I would force people to have health care whether they can afford it or not" (Espo, AP/Miami Herald, 2/26). In response to a statement by Obama that her proposal would require all U.S. residents to obtain health insurance, Clinton said, "Obama has a mandate. He would enforce the mandate by requiring parents to buy coverage for children" (Chozick/Timiraos, Wall Street Journal, 2/27). In addition, she said that the Obama proposal would leave 15 million residents without health insurance.

Clinton also criticized Obama for a mailer distributed by his campaign that discussed her proposal (New York Times, 2/27). The mailer, which the Obama campaign has distributed for more than three weeks, states, "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it ... and you pay a penalty if you don't" (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/4). She said, "What I find regrettable is that ... it is almost as though the health insurance companies and the Republicans wrote it" (New York Times, 2/27). Clinton added that Obama has spread "false, misleading and discredited" information about her proposal (Thomma, McClatchy/Kansas City Star, 2/26).

Obama Comments
Obama said that Clinton has misrepresented his position on health care. "Senator Clinton repeatedly claims that I don't stand for universal health care. And, you know, for Senator Clinton to say that I think is simply not accurate."

He also said that Clinton failed in her efforts on health care reform in the 1990s in part because she "had the view that what's required is simply to fight" (Helman, Boston Globe, 2/27). She "ended up fighting not only just the insurance companies and the drug companies but also members of her own party," Obama said (Decker/Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 2/27).

Video of the health care-related clips and a transcript of the debate are available online at health08.org.

Ohio Primary
Health care has become one of the most "contentious" issues in the March 4 Ohio Democratic primary, and Clinton and Obama are "competing to talk the toughest" about the issue and others that union members consider important, the News reports. In the 2004 presidential election, 44% of Ohio Democratic primary voters lived in households that included at least one union member.

According to the News, Obama has received the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union, which represents a large number of health care workers, and other unions, but Clinton has "demonstrated significant strength with union households" on health care. Bev Spetz, a local official from a union that represents school employees in Toledo, Ohio, said, "We feel like she gets it. ... For our members, it's all about health care" (Trowbridge [2], Detroit News, 2/27).

Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday reported on the debate, including candidates' comments on health care. The segment includes comments from Clinton and Obama (Liasson, "Morning Edition," NPR, 2/27). Audio of the segment is available online.

NBC's "Nightly News" on Tuesday reported on health care proposals from Clinton, Obama and Republican candidates Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The segment includes comments from the candidates and Len Nichols, director of the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation (Snyderman, "Nightly News," NBC, 2/26). Video of the segment is available online.