Hillarycare

Background

       The Health Security Act, commonly referred to as "Hillarycare," was a 1993 proposition by the Clinton administration to overhaul the nation's health care system. It's goal was to create a plan for universal health care, which was supposed to be a major agenda for the first-term of the administration. In the 1992 election, Bill Clinton had campaigned heavily on health care, and set up a task force to oversee the legislation once in office.

                                     

Task Force

       President Clinton set up the task force, officially known as the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, in January 1993, in the first month of his presidency. Controversially, the then first lady, Hillary Clinton, was chosen to head the task force, operating as its chairwoman. This was a major departure from the traditional role of the first lady, and was unprecedented for a presidential spouse. The First Lady's role in the task force sparked widespread controversy, leading to litigation against the White House. There have been conflicting claims about the choice to appoint Hillary Clinton as the chair: some claim that the idea originated from President Clinton, while others claim she pressed him for it.  

Provisions

       The proposed bill hoped to overhaul the health care system by providing every citizen with health care, regardless of preexisting conditions. The administration hoped to achieve this by requiring every US citizen to enroll in a plan, either on their own or through their employers, or whom those with more than 5,000 full-time employees were mandated to offer a plan. For those not able to afford a qualifying plan, the government would provide subsidies to cover the cost of insurance. Regional health alliances operating in each state would set up these plans, and would be responsible for purchasing insurance coverage for the residents of the state. The proposed overhaul would be funded by a federal grants to the state governments, estimated at $14 billion in 1993, and rising by another $24 billion by 2003. The legislation also specified which benefits must be offered by a plan, and called for a National Health Board to oversee health care services. It also called for enhanced physician training, rural and long-term health care programs, abortion coverage, malpractice reform, fraud prevention measures, and an expansion of Medicare benefits.