Hillary Clinton's Mandatory Health Insurance Plan Is An Attack on the Middle Class, Group Says

The Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights FTCR announced that it is 100 percent opposed to Senator Hillary Clinton's mandatory health insurance purchase plan. Senator Clinton has received over $1 million in campaign contributions from insurers for her presidential campaign and it certainly seems that this proposed policy is their "return payment" on their investment especially when the plan is offered as a solution for health care reform by a woman who used to be a proponent of socialized medicine in America.

The plan's mandatory requirement -- that every American purchase private insurance -- assures that the health insurance companies will stay in business, but it does not define how the average American middle class family will be able to afford the coverage. Clinton's plan does not in any way shape or form suggest a cap for premiums or regulate them. When it is considered that insurance coverage for a family of four costs approximately $12,000 per year, Jamie Court, President of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, defined the measure as an "attack on the middle class family." Health care reform is a necessity; however, it cannot be achieved when only viewing part of the picture as proposed by Clinton's plan. It is clear that a hard look needs aimed at the health care insurance industry. If they can make Clinton do an about face in her policy--just imagine how much power health insurer campaign contributions wield.

Insurance Companies Reap the Benefits

The FTCR notes that a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that the average cost of insurance coverage for a family of four is $12,000 per year. That total does not include payment of any required deductibles that could be an out-of-pocket expense up to $5,000. Plus, more insurance companies are keeping more premium dollars for profit causing them to rise even more at a rate of 250% faster than inflation rates. It was further cited in Kaiser's report that while health insurance premiums have increased 78% since 2001, wages have only increased by 19% and inflation by 17%.