Clinton Unveils Her Health-Care Plan

Sept. 18, 2007 — -- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has a plan — a $110 billion health-care plan, to be exact. Under her proposed American Health Choices Plan, all Americans would be required to have health insurance, including the 47 million who are currently uninsured.

"When I am president, [health care] will be my highest domestic priority," the Democratic presidential hopeful told "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer this morning.

Clinton proposes that Americans have the option to keep their current insurance plan or choose from two government programs — Medicare or the plan that currently insures government employees.

Clinton's plan proposes universal health care through a combination of access to the same plans that members of Congress have, tax credits that will enable the affordability of those plans and some tax credits for small businesses.

Additionally, there would be extra help available for people with low incomes.

She says in addition to making health care available to everyone, she hopes to make it affordable, too.

"I have been working for several years now to support an electronic medical records system, which it is estimated would save $77 billion a year," she said, adding she would require companies to compete on cost and quality — rather than eliminating people from coverage.

But her critics have likened her plan to a European-style, socialized medicine.

Republican presidential hopeful former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, "This is essentially the Michael Moore-Hillary Clinton approach, which is 'let's see if we can build socialized medicine.' The idea that you are going to mandate people and command them to have health insurance immediately begins to increase the cost of insurance and decrease the quality."

Fellow Republican presidential hopeful former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney agrees that Clinton's plan may be headed in the wrong direction.

"It's a European, socialized medicine plan. That's where it leads, and that's the wrong direction for America," Romney said.