Conason, Lux on Hillary

Joe Conason, who wrote a great book about the witch hunt against the Clintons, reveals the soft spot he has in his heart for Hillary with this article at Working Assets. Conason ends it with a good point:

Ever since Harry S. Truman first proposed universal health care in 1948, the insurance industry has refused to create a system that would cover everyone, erecting instead a nightmarish edifice of corporate bureaucracy, unaffordable waste and cruel exclusion.

Rather than rant against the constructive alternatives, let them--and their political mouthpieces--explain why we should continue to tolerate their failure.

Mike Lux, who used to work for Hillary, gives his analysis on what's different about this program at Open Left. Lux writes,

But there's one other reason the issue haunts me and drives me. Being part of that health care fight in 1993-94 was an experience that I can never forget. I don't like losing, especially when the stakes are this high, and unlike elections where you have another chance to win just two years down the road, a chance at getting something this big and complicated done comes along only once a generation. So we better get it right this time.

I think Hillary's new proposal is pretty damn good. I still think, have always thought, a Canadian-style single-payer system is the best way to go policy-wise, but that ain't happening absent a miracle, and Hilary's proposal is pretty sound policy-wise in terms of doing the things a health reform policy should do: it covers everybody, cuts costs and improves quality. And there's no one in the country who knows more about health policy than Clinton- she is pretty amazing in that regard.

Lux believes that this plan may work because it:

1. Emphasizes that if you like your health insurance you can keep it.
2. Keeps it simple to explain.
3. Buys off small businesses with no mandates to cover employees.