A video found on YouTube shows footage from 1993 in which Newt Gingrich came out in support of forcing Americans to buy health insurance. by Walt Thiessen
(libertarian)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A very interesting video uploaded onto YouTube in May 2011 shows a broadcast this year on NBC's "Meet The Press" that included videotape from 1993, also on "Meet The Press", in which Newt Gingrich came out in favor of socialized health care.
In the 1993 video, Gingrich said about an individual mandate for health insurance, "I am for people, individuals, exactly like automobile insurance, individuals having health insurance and being required to have health insurance, and I am prepared to vote for a voucher system which will give individuals on a sliding scale a government subsidy to insure that everyone as individuals have health insurance."
Unfortunately, the YouTube video cuts off at that point and doesn't give Gingrich a chance to answer the charge that what he said in 1993 is essentially what Obamacare is today. In point of fact, Gingrich has flip-flopped on the issue, today claiming that he feels that an individual mandate is "unworkable" in a recent interview with radio host Mark Levin.
Instead, he now argues for a "new" and very vaguely defined health care safety net which he euphemistically calls "Patient Power" and about which he says, "Such Patient Power reforms can be extended to provide a complete healthcare safety net covering everybody to assure that no one will suffer lack of essential health care, for just a small fraction of the cost of Obamacare. Moreover, this can and should be accomplished with no individual mandate and no employer mandate."
And how will he accomplish this miracle? Despite the fact that he released a 40 page paper on the subject, he doesn't really say anything specific. If there was ever a clear need for specificity, it's with health care. If you're expecting Gingrich to get specific, don't hold your breath! The little bit we do know is that, in Gingrich's words, "This would not cost much because only about 12 million Americans arguably cannot afford health insurance without some public assistance." Putting aside the absurd notion that health care for 12 million Americans won't cost much at current prices, we can be certain that by the time Gingrich's program, whatever it actually does, gets passed into law, a whole lot more than 12 million Americans will be covered by it. That's what Gingrich's own legislative history tells us will happen, and we also know it will happen because Democrats will settle for no less. Gingrich, the champion of nationalized Education (in that he helped fund and expand the Department of Education during his tenure as House speaker).
I can only imagine what the voters of Iowa and New Hampshire are going to say as more and more of them see the above video!
Did you like this article? If you did, Thumb It! 3
thumbs so far
The views expressed
in this article are those of Walt Thiessen only and
do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates.
Walt Thiessen is solely responsible for the contents
of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated
with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
