Hillary Clinton Blazes the Campaign Trail in Iowa

Senator Hillary Clinton was recently interviewed in Iowa by Good Morning America and several Iowans in the capital city of Des Moines.

Hillary spoke on a variety of issues including Health Care, the war, and also addressed the Democratic Party candidates.

In response to the war on Iraq, Clinton was adamant about moving towards the reduction and eventual elimination of troops in Iraq. Clinton also mentioned that the Congress is currently working towards that end to the war as quickly as possible.

Clinton was also questioned in regards to the campaign of Senator John Edwards. Edwards's campaign has also been in the news in regard to his wife's terminal illness. Clinton respectfully responded that the issue of Elizabeth Edward's cancer was a highly personal one, and something that the Edward's needed to deal with in their own way.

In regards to health care, Clinton was questioned on her plans as well as how the past fourteen years have influenced her thoughts on the matter. Indeed, in 1993, Clinton's task force was aiming towards a universal health coverage plan. While this plan was not very successful, Clinton reported that her intentions as president were to continue to strive for a similar universal health plan.

Clinton also mentioned that as a nation, we are in a better state for such a plan than we were in the early 1990s. With nearly 47 million people who do not have health insurance , there is a good chance these citizen's votes and needs will be influential in the upcoming presidential term. Also, because many insurance companies currently deny needs of the people they serve, a universal health plan is indeed on the forefront of many Americans' minds.

Clinton also noted the fact that many small businesses struggle to stay afloat due to the cost of health care plans for their employees. It was also mentioned that Americans spend more money than anyone in the world on health care by a large margin.

Clinton was admittedly excited and confident that a universal health care plan would be a very real possibility if she were to be elected.

When questioned about the rights and privileges of Congress members regarding health care plans, Clinton responded that she believes the rights of Congress should be the rights of every American citizen. She stated, "I think it is past time for the Congress to do for everybody else what we do for ourselves."
Clinton was also questioned about her intentions on giving soldiers the care they need and deserve.

Clinton responded that her ideal is to have mandatory funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Due to the fact that the VA struggles every year to get money to take care of people who took care of us, Clinton suggests mandatory funding as well as more outpatient care.

Improved quality and more funding are Clinton's main proposals on the issue of taking care of our Veterans.

In response to a concern of Universal Health Care, namely that the quality would not be as high, Clinton tactfully stated that the most important aspect of the plan is to improve quality and keep the cost low. Clinton's stated objective was to create electronic medical records. This initial step would provide benefits for doctor offices across the nations by providing convenient access and information, as well as save time and money in the long run.

Clinton's last question came from a campus representative in California. The question was in regards to Clinton's thoughts on health care for young people. Clinton responded that health care would continue to be covered for dependents as long as they are in school. Clinton also plans to provide better health care for 20 something's fresh out of college. Even though this particular age group does not have as high of a need regarding health care, Clinton's plan is to provide high quality health care for this group as well.