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Clinton proposes $138 billion healthcare plan
Posted
1-24-2000 Washington. President Clinton unveiled a $138 billion, 10-year initiative Jan. 19 that would provide health insurance to at least 5 million Americans without coverage and increase funding for people with long-term healthcare needs. Calling health care for American families one of the biggest challenges of the century, Clinton said there are still too many Americans who cannot afford health care. "This is a continuing problem in our nation," he said in a ceremony in the Oval Office. "If enacted, this would be the largest investment in health coverage since the establishment of Medicare in 1965, one of the most significant steps we could take to help working families." The proposal would allot $110 billion to expand health insurance coverage and $28 billion in the form of a tax credit to those with long-term health needs or caregivers. The plan is the latest in a long series of incremental efforts that Clinton has made to extend health coverage to the 44 million Americans without insurance. Although his initial proposal in 1994 failed, Clinton urged Congress to pass his latest proposal, saying the presidential election campaign has shown that affordable health care is a growing concern to Americans. Clinton also proposed spending $28.7 billion over 10 years to expand health insurance options for "vulnerable groups" who lack access to employer-sponsored insurance. These include older Americans, people in transition, and workers in small businesses. A separate proposal is a $3,000 tax credit for people with long-term healthcare needs or caregivers. That triples his tax credit plan from last year, which failed to gain the approval of the Republican-led Congress. It would increase the total investment in long-term care to $28 billion over 10 years.
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