Hillary will give us dental coverage...Obama and Edwards: "no comments"

[guerrillafiter]

There is an interesting piece in the The Nation, "The Hidden Health Care Crisis", for which Obama and Edwards' camp declined to comment.
And Katrina Vandel Heuvel calls them on it:

Although there has been much talk about healthcare reform in the presidential campaign, there has been little mention of dental care. The Obama and Edwards campaigns declined to comment for this article.

She goes on to quote a recent Hillary speech on the important issue:

"I want to cover dental care. And in the congressional plan, which I open up to everybody...there are more than 250 plan choices. Most of them cover dental care. One of the things we are finding out is all of the connections between dental problems and heart disease, between dental problems and other systemic conditions. So, if we don't cover dental care, you're going to miss a lot of the problems that will then get very expensive...I talked about the story of a young boy, 12-years old, living in Maryland… had a toothache. couldn't find a dentist to take him because they didn't have any money for a dentist. They called every dentist they could get and some were very sympathetic, but they said, ‘Well, we already have our full compliment of charity patients. We can't take anybody else.' Turned out he had an abscess. The abscess burst, so he ends up in Johns Hopkins Hospital. They tried to save him. He dies. The hospital incurred $300,000 worth of medical care trying to save him because his mother couldn't get a $60, $70, $80…dental visit. So that's the kind of story that underscores the unfairness of the system, but also the importance of covering dental care, and I intend to do everything I can to make that happen."

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?bid=7&pid=272603

[fenriswolf]

1. great mandatory dental too

wonderfull stuff. Hope i have enough money for mandatory health and dental.

[Barack_America]

5. Exactly. If people are too poor to afford it...

...are they exempt if they pull their own teeth out?

How would looove to hear how she's going to include dental as well. And make it affordable enough for working class families to be able to afford her plan.

[rinsd]

10. Subsidies for those who can't afford it much like Obama.

Using your logic Obama's plan will also impact working families because he mandates coverage for children.

But we both know his plan include subsidies to help those who cannot afford it.

What Hillary's plan will not allow is people who can afford coverage forgoing it betting the system that they won't need medical attention.

Guess who pays for it when they actually do? We all do which leads to rising costs.

Single payer is the way to go but Edwards & Clinton's plans are a step in the right direction.

[Barack_America]

18. I won't believe anybody's plan until I see the balance sheet.

And, given that nobody's quite sure how they're going to pay for this, I'm not sure that there will be enough $ for subsidies to allow everyone to afford it. Therefore, I feel more comfortable with a candidate that isn't going to force everyone to do so.

They all propose to pay for this by repealing Bush's tax cuts and by bringing in revenue from the most wealthy Americans. Fine. But if our country is in a recession and our stock market is in the shitter, the wealthiest of Americans are going to be claiming significant losses and deductions on their taxes, which significantly affects how much money we have available to subsidize healthcare.

[stillcool]

36. I wonder how many 'campaign promises'

have been realized, in the context of how they were promised. "Yes!" we'll improve the economy, but sorry, your job has gone to India. Mission Accomplished.

[Kittycat]

2. Yes, HRC will give you everything... Including Manditory Coverage Fines.

Enjoy.

[guerrillafiter]

4. Really? I'm poor. Will I be fined? Where did you read it? n/t

[Barack_America]

9. That's her plan. People must purchase healthcare (and apparently) dental...

...or else they will be fined. How much and how she won't say.

She says that she's going to subsidize these things to the point where people can afford it, but I'll believe that when I see the balance sheet.

Obama is the only one who's saying that he wants healthcare to be affordable enough for everyone (and will also offer subsidies), but he's not going to mandate that anyone other than children have it.

[fenriswolf]

14. from what i understand we will get rebates on our tax return

so we prob have to declare what insurer and type we have along with the rest of our taxes. So unless you want to lie to the federal government you better get health care somehow or if you neglected too, state you have none and then accept whatever fine comes your way. That is when you will prob be scooped up and placed into a program of the gov choosing to start with.

thats my guess.

[rinsd]

17. No you will not. That is a lie put oput by Obama supporters.

They realize Obama's plan comes up short.

They realize he will allow young people who can afford to purchase health insurance to opt out leaving us the taxpayers to pick up the tab when that person needs medical care.

They realize its a political compromise because he is afraid of mandates being used by the GOP. (Nevermind that he has mandates for children)

Here's Hillary's plan in detail.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/summary.aspx

Check out the links on the righthand side for all the details.

[marlon]

22. I know, Obama supporters lie a lot

They say Clinton will fine poor people when she will do the opposite: Subsidize their health care.

[Skinner]

26. Hey, look! It's you again! (nt)

[fenriswolf]

31. HAHAHA this guy

can't get enough of skinner.

[Barack_America]

29. How did you miss that coverage is "mandatory" in her plan?

Subsidized does not equal free.

[Skinner]

3. Any Simpsons fans?

"Dental Plan!"

"Lisa needs Braces"

[rinsd]

6. But Burns is offering a keg of beer at union meetings!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duxtNxXSbSY

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. LOL. "How about a little 'Classical Gas'?"

[guerrillafiter]

8. Say that to the 7 year old kid who died

featured in The Nation, because an infection in his tooth went to his brain.

Say it to the 2/3 of children who do not go to the dentist regularly.

I will care about this problem while you watch cartoons.

[Barack_America]

11. You know, that does happen. But there are many, many more children who die...

...from untreated asthma in this country.

Dental is important. But we've got to put the priority on healthcare. Unless we want to turn 90% of our paychecks over, then we can have it all!

[fenriswolf]

16. wont take 90%

alot of money is in the healthcare buisness. It wouldn't even take 20% of our paychecks if you include the money we already give to HMO.

[Barack_America]

27. Are you including the subsidies for insuring the most poor of this nation...

...and not just yourself? And Hillary (and John?) want to cover illegal immigrants as well. And we're not talking about giving them second rate care here. We're talking about the same MRI's for every ache and pain that we get. Or we're asking everyone to back down the level of care they're used to receiving.

Otherwsie, we're talking about taking our national expenditure on healthcare and essentially doubling it. That's a lot of money. But no, it's not 90% of our paychecks, but it could be 50%. Have you seen the taxes that Canadians pay? Not pretty. And they don't have nearly the poverty and illegal immigrant numbers that we do.

Furthermore, the Candadian system provides only "limited coverage". In fact, most Canadians have supplemental insurance that helps them with more expensive treatments. I'm also not sure about their long-term nursing/rehab care, but I don't believe it is completely covered.

[K Gardner]

13. Welcome to DU. Enjoy your stay. Errr... guerrilla, meet Skinner.

[Skinner]

15. I was going to apologize for my insensitivity.

But then I realized that you were banned last night under a different username.

[babylonsister]

20. **snort**

:rofl: Shut him right up!

[fenriswolf]

23. mmmmpppffmmm (muffled laughter)

:rofl:

[K Gardner]

24. ROFL !!

[godzillo]

30. ROFLMAO@how you believe he won't be back soon

very soon :-)

[Bluerthanblue]

19. It isn't a question of caring- supposedly medicaid gives kids dental- in reality

if you can find a dentist willing to accept medicaid assignment you should let your local medicaid office know-

I've been there- tried to do it.

Hillary and Bill made some promises in '92- and we are still living on "promises".

I don't doubt her desire- I doubt her ability to make it happen.

Empty promises don't do much for anyone.

In this nation if I steal, sell drugs, assault someone, or kill someone- & am arrested- I WILLrecieve health care and dental care. (I am NOT saying that the prison population has it cushy-)

If I'm struggling to make do on minimum wage- and raise my family as a single mom- I'm out of luck.

Something isn't right- but empty promises don't change anything.

[madrchsod]

28. 45 miles where i live in illinois

under the kid care program.my friends child needs a specialist--100 miles. the state is almost 2 months behind in payments. my wifes insurance company finally paid my june 2007 hospital bill this month...

[K Gardner]

12. What about Vision?? I want a mandatory eye plan too !

[DUyellow]

21. Dont be such a sell out... "Give us" how much is your vote worth?

[marlon]

25. Are you saying The Nation's prestigious writer is wrong?

It's easy to attack a DU'er. Send her an email. Oh yeah, I forgot. You are just PRETENDING to disagree with dental coverage, because it helps your candidate. :-)

[marcellorios]

32. Dental problems linked to heart disease and other health issues

Edwards and Obama. Your position please:

**crickets, crickets**

...meanwhile, Skinner fumes.

[thoughtcrime1984]

33. Does Hillary do root canals?

I'd rather get one than listen to her.... ;)

[zulchzulu]

34. Hillary promises a freakin' chicken in every pot, a horny intern in every closet

Yay Hillary!

:crazy:

[no name no slogan]

35. and so did Nixon

whose 1974 plan Hillary "borrowed".

Kucinich's plan provides universal, single-payer coverage for dental as well, WITHOUT big insurance companies playing middleman.