Sunday, December 28, 2003
Taking on health
Max Becherer / Staff
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark addresses a crowd of about 350 people Saturday in the courtyard at Kino Community Hospital.
By C.J. Karamargin
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark marched his campaign for the presidency into Arizona on Saturday, making quick stops in Tucson and Phoenix.
Here are the facts of the Tucson visit:
When: 11 a.m. Saturday.
Where: An olive-tree-shaded courtyard in front of the lobby entrance of Kino Community Hospital, 2800 E. Ajo Way.
How many people: About 350. The crowd included former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson and one-time Tucson legislative candidate Bob Schwartz. Johnson, who ran for governor in 1998, is Clark's Arizona campaign chairman.
Clark was accompanied to Arizona by his wife of 36 years, Gert.
Issue of the day: Health care, health insurance, prescription drug benefits.
Candidate proposal: Clark claims his plan will provide health insurance to 30 million Americans, including 770,000 in Arizona. He said more than 40 million Americans do not have health insurance.
Clark wants to provide tax credits for families making up to $90,000 to help defray the cost of insurance premiums. He said all Americans deserve the same health care coverage as members of Congress.
Under Clark's plan, Americans would be allowed to import less-expensive medications from Canada. He also wants to "cut the corporate tax shelters and red tape" so generic drugs can enter the market.
Candidate quote of the day: "We're in a national crisis in health care. We've got the finest doctors, the greatest medicines, the best treatment, the best labs in the world in America. But what good does it do us if so many can't get access to our health care system?"
Audience quotes: Sue Baker, 73, moved to Tucson two months ago from Clark's hometown, Little Rock, Ark. She is a big fan.
"He's everything that I want a president to be," she said. "I feel about him like I did about (former President) Clinton."
George A. Miller, 78, is a former public-affairs counselor with the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela. He was impressed by the turnout.
"Jimmy Carter didn't get a crowd this size when he went to Caracas," he said. "This is really something."
Other candidates on the issue: President Bush and all the Democratic presidential candidates have made health care a major campaign issue.
Bush on Dec. 8 signed into law a Medicare modernization bill that he said represents "the greatest advance in health care coverage for America's seniors" in decades.
The bill's provision of prescription drug coverage means "better choices and more control" for health care consumers, Bush said.
The measure has been criticized as inadequate by Democrats, who have their own plans.
Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri is calling for near-universal health care coverage through the current, employer-based system.
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina wants to provide health care for all Americans under 21, either through government programs or private companies.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio calls health care one of his 10 key issues. He wants a publicly financed national health insurance program.
The health care plan of Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut would guarantee that people would not lose their health insurance if they lost their job.
The candidate in Arizona: Clark last campaigned in Tucson on Nov. 10, when he visited the city's VA hospital.
His state campaign headquarters is at 525 E. McDowell Road in Phoenix. It can be reached at 1-602-340-9222.
* Contact C.J. Karamargin 573-4243 or cjkarama@azstarnet.com.
