Obama on Universal Health Care - Will He Anger Liberals?

On January 25, 2006, Sen. Barack Obama, who is pondering a 2008 run for the White House, delivered a speech in which he surprised pundits by announcing:

"I am absolutely determined that, by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country. There's no reason why we can't accomplish that."

Read the entirety of the senator's remarks at Barack Obama's Speech Urging Universal Health Insurance.

It's a brilliant speech, well-couched in U.S. presidential history, but Sen. Obama offered no specifics on plan details, as he is "working with experts to develop my own plan as we speak."

I spoke today with Sen. Obama's press secretary, Tommy Vietor, who confirmed that the senator's staff is perfecting his approach to universal health care. Mr. Vietor had no date, though, when the plan will be publicly released, and proffered no hints about plan policies or funding sources.

What Does Obama Mean by "Universal Health Care"?
Two other leading Democratic 2008 candidates, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, have both endorsed a vision of universal health care that appears to entail a single-payer system whereby the government pays for the health care of all citizens.

Barack Obama's speech, though, contained hints that his may be a more politically moderate version that doesn't rely on the government as single-payer to bear all health care costs.

For instance, Sen. Obama referred to new ideas and plans emanating from Maine, California and Massachusetts as "interesting." While California's pseudo-Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues to craft his approach to universal health care, much is known about Massachusetts' Mandatory Health Insurance Program.

Legislated on a bipartisan basis by former Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican 2008 contender, Massachusetts' Mandatory Health Insurance Program is intended to cover only uninsured and under-insured state residents, and is largely funded by a per month charge per employee for all businesses in the state that refuse to provide health insurance options for their workers, as well as an existing surplus state fund.

For more about this well-regarded health care approach, see my article, Pros & Cons of Massachusetts' Mandatory Health Insurance Program.

Another hint that Obama may favor a multiple-payer health care system is his speech reference to "my colleague, Senator Ron Wyden, who's recently developed an interesting new health care plan of his own."

Introduced to the Senate on January 16, 2007, Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-OR) "fresh approach to fixing health care in America" is a complex and creative plan with similarities to the Massachusetts model. Wyden's "Healthy American Act" legislation mandates employer contributions to share the cost with government, and provides insurance subsidies for low-income families. The Wyden plan has been well received, and is presently being closely examined.

And a third not-so-subtle hint that Sen. Obama may be considering a multiple-payer, private health care insurance proposal came when he snarked:

"The can't-do crowd has scared the American people into believing that universal health care would mean socialized medicine, burdensome taxes, rationing... "

Which, of course, is precisely what Hillary Clinton proposed in 1993 as head of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform when her husband was president.

And what most pundits presume John Edwards intends when he says that "it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit."

The Politics of Universal Health Care
If, indeed, Sen. Obama proposes a plan akin to that proposed by Sen. Wyden, he can likely expect solid political support from moderate and market-based proponents of the Democratic Party and substantial Republican crossover support...

But he can also count on considerable flack from more liberal Democrats. Wrote blogger DrSteveB at DailyKos about "Wyden's not so democratic universal health care plan":

"As a matter of policy the Wyden bill is bad... But politically, if it moves forward, then it signals a sell-out by the Democratic congressional leadership.

It... doesn't even bring single-payer to the negotiating table. They compromise from the get go, without negotiation with or making demands of, the insurance industry."

And Matt Stoller of MyDD advises that, "... the Wyden plan should be seen only as a somewhat besides-the-point rhetoric gambit."

Which Direction Is Sen. Obama Leaning?
What direction will Sen. Barack Obama take with his universal health care plan proposals? Will he opt for a government-based single payer plan, and appease the vocal mainstays of the Democratic Party?

Or will he opt for more political centrist ideas, such as the Massachusetts or Wyden Plans, that call for multiple funding streams to enable all Americans to purchase their own private insurance?

My guess is that the Sen. Obama is leaning toward the middle... which I support as more fiscally responsible... and which would provide a stark contrast to universal health care plans likely to be set forth by Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.

That my friends, is when the 2008 Democratic race will evolve from a beauty contest into a no-holds-barred debate of ideas.

I can hardly wait...

Recommended Reading
Senator Barack Obama's Speech Urging Universal Health Insurance
Pros & Cons of Massachusetts' Mandatory Health Insurance Program
Barack Obama in 2008 Info Center Hub
Hillary Clinton in 2008 Info Center Hub