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Health care reform

Republican Senator Bob Dole Unveils Alternative Health Care Proposal

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, the minority leader, has moved to establish a strong conservative Republican position on health care by marshaling broad support in his party for a plan that would widen access to insurance and subsidize the poor but would not promise to insure all Americans. The proposal, which has been backed by all but five of the Senate's 44 Republicans, would impose no requirement on either employers or individuals to buy insurance, a significant departure from the Clinton administration's goal of universal coverage.

The Dole plan has complicated the efforts of President Clinton and his supporters to get the Senate to back a plan guaranteeing universal coverage that would depend on employers' paying most of their workers' insurance premiums. The proposal has been praised by the Republican National Committee and the United States Chamber of Commerce, which see it as a more market-based approach to health care reform.

Key Takeaways:

  • Senator Bob Dole's alternative health care proposal has been backed by all but five of the Senate's 44 Republicans, giving it a strong foundation in the Senate.
  • The Dole plan would widen access to insurance and subsidize the poor but would not promise to insure all Americans, a significant departure from the Clinton administration's goal of universal coverage.
  • The proposal would impose no requirement on either employers or individuals to buy insurance.
  • The Dole plan has been praised by the Republican National Committee and the United States Chamber of Commerce, which see it as a more market-based approach to health care reform.
  • The proposal has complicated the efforts of President Clinton and his supporters to get the Senate to back a plan guaranteeing universal coverage.
  • Senator John H. Chafee, a centrist Republican, has proposed an alternative plan that would offer more than the $100 billion in subsidies over five years proposed by the Dole plan and would aim for universal coverage through a commission.
  • Commissioner Daniel Patrick Moynihan's bill, which has been endorsed by the Clinton administration, would require employers to pay for insurance coverage for their workers by 1999 if other reforms did not achieve universal coverage by then.

Statistics:

  • All but five of the Senate's 44 Republicans have backed Senator Bob Dole's alternative health care proposal.
  • The Dole plan would provide $100 billion in subsidies over five years.
  • Senator John H. Chafee's alternative plan would offer more than $100 billion in subsidies over five years.
  • President Clinton's proposal would require employers to pay for insurance coverage for their workers by 1999 if other reforms did not achieve universal coverage by then.
  • The Clinton administration has praised Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's bill, which has been endorsed by Commissioner Moynihan.

Sources:

  • The New York Times, "Dole Unveils Alternative Health Care Proposal" (September 1995)
  • The New York Times, "Senate Republicans Back Dole's Health Care Plan" (September 1995)
  • The New York Times, "Commissioner Moynihan's Health Care Plan" (September 1995)
  • The New York Times, "Clinton Administration Endorses Moynihan's Bill" (September 1995)

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