Kucinich touts 'Medicare for all' plan

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Mon Mar-05-07 12:44 PM
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Kucinich touts 'Medicare for all' plan

Kucinich touts 'Medicare for all' plan

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Kucinich+touts+'Medicare+for+all'+plan&articleId=8f7cf236-69b5-4b2e-9680-0cfde0aec8d3

By BENJAMIN KEPPLE
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
12 hours, 33 minutes ago

MANCHESTER –

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat running for his party's Presidential nomination, focused
yesterday on the nation's health-care system and the war in Iraq as he wrapped up his third campaign
trip to New Hampshire.

Kucinich , received just 1 percent of the vote in the 2004 New Hampshire primary. This time around,
though, he is doing things differently. He has been traveling early and often to the Granite State,
and has been more aggressive in differentiating his views from those of the race's front-runners.

"My candidacy challenges the Democratic Party and gives the people of New Hampshire someone to vote
for who doesn't have any strings attached," said Kucinich, who yesterday morning spoke to a small
group of supporters at the Merrimack Restaurant on Elm Street.

Kucinich, a former mayor of Cleveland, touched on other issues during breakfast, such as calling for
incentives to boost production of wind- and solar-energy technology, and pushing for full employment
in the economy.

But health care and Iraq were the major issues of conversation.

On health care, Kucinich touted his plan for a single-payer health-care system, which he described
as "Medicare for all." The plan would be entirely government-funded, and would be paid for through
a variety of already-existing levies and a new 7.7 percent employer payroll tax.

The thinking behind the plan, according to Kucinich, is that it will remove private insurers and
their profits from the equation. He argued that would make health care cheaper and remove a burden
from businesses and families.

And despite the new employer tax, Kucinich said, many small firms would likely do better paying
that than paying insurance premiums.

Kucinich charged his opponents in the race would talk about universal health care, but also talk
about a system that would protect private insurers.

"This issue is a fault line in the Democratic Party. The question is: Whose side are you on, the
side of the people or the side of the insurance companies? You can't be on both," Kucinich said.

Kucinich also took shots at his opponents - although he named no names - regarding the war in Iraq.
He criticized them for advocating peace while having initially voted for the war, and he also
criticized them for planning to vote for the war's continued funding.

Those shots, while indirect, were aimed at front-runners such as U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.,
and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. They were also aimed at capitalizing on intense dissatisfaction
with the war among more liberal Democrats.

Kucinich's next return to New Hampshire is set for early April. He plans to attend several meetings
and take part in the April 5 debate among Democrats running for their party's nomination. The New
Hampshire Union Leader, CNN and WMUR-TV are sponsoring the debate, which will be hosted at St.
Anselm College.

Kucinich, who in total has spent nine days in New Hampshire and said on Saturday that he joined a
Concord food co-op, also said he'll return to campaign in New Hampshire as much as he possibly can.

"I'll be back," Kucinich said at the end of yesterday's event. "I'll be back often."

http://kucinich.us/

The Kucinich 12-Point Plan for Iraq
http://kucinich.us/iraqplan

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