The Week

We want to put a stop to the rumor that Mrs. Clinton’s health-care group performed human sacrifices. That simply is not true. A few chickens, perhaps. Human sacrifice awaits passage of the bill.

William Kristol, chairman of the Project for a Republican Future, has sent a memo to Republican leaders nationwide suggesting the proper strategy for a counterattack on the Clinton health plan. While polls show that most Americans (about 80 per cent) believe the system needs changing, an equally large majority are happy with the care they themselves now get. “The Administration’s only option, then, is singlemindedly to focus on the fears many middle-class Americans have about health care as an abstract ‘system .. .’” Republicans, in contrast, must show how monopoly health alliances and price controls will directly damage doctor—patient relationships and the quality of care. The positive alternatives that Republicans offer, Mr. Kristol adds, must fit with their negative case. That means pursuing a short list of near-term reforms (reforming medical malpractice law, eliminating barriers to health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions), not making grand counter-proposals of their own. And, it should go without saying, No Compromise with the President. The only health Bill Clinton is concerned about is the health of the Democratic Party, and if he passes a health plan, he will go a long way toward guaranteeing it.

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We want to put a stop to the rumor that Mrs. Clinton’s health-care group performed human sacrifices. That simply is not true. A few chickens, perhaps. Human sacrifice awaits passage of the bill.

William Kristol, chairman of the Project for a Republican Future, has sent a memo to Republican leaders nationwide suggesting the proper strategy for a counterattack on the Clinton health plan. While polls show that most Americans (about 80 per cent) believe the system needs changing, an equally large majority are happy with the care they themselves now get. “The Administration’s only option, then, is singlemindedly to focus on the fears many middle-class Americans have about health care as an abstract ‘system .. .’” Republicans, in contrast, must show how monopoly health alliances and price controls will directly damage doctor—patient relationships and the quality of care. The positive alternatives that Republicans offer, Mr. Kristol adds, must fit with their negative case. That means pursuing a short list of near-term reforms (reforming medical malpractice law, eliminating barriers to health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions), not making grand counter-proposals of their own. And, it should go without saying, No Compromise with the President. The only health Bill Clinton is concerned about is the health of the Democratic Party, and if he passes a health plan, he will go a long way toward guaranteeing it.