Obama and Clinton on Health Insurance

Paul Krugman and Dean Baker are slugging it out about healthcare and the respective plans Clinton and Obama are putting forward to insure the nation. At this point, I think what Krugman is saying makes more sense.

Specifically, Krugman's point is:

If Mrs. Clinton gets the Democratic nomination,
there is some chance — nobody knows how big —
that we’ll get universal health care in the next
administration. If Mr. Obama gets the nomination, it
just won’t happen.

Without mandates or an Edwards style automatic signup for anyone who encounters the healthcare system, universal coverage is dead. It’s about the only thing Clinton has a real advantage over Obama on, but for most progressives it is the centerpiece of the Democratic debate. Obama has boxed himself into a bad corner with voluntary signups, especially after his attacks on Clinton for insisting on the necessary mandates.

See Memeorandum for more debate.