The Triangle

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs During a visit to the College of Law, Chelsea Clinton described her mother's plans for issues concerning affordable higher education, health care and the economy.

Drexel University's College of Law hosted Chelsea Clinton April 17 in an open-forum discussion that covered aspects of her mother's campaign and issues of concern to graduate students.

The discussion covered a ranged of topics, from student loans to health care to employment.

On the topic of student loans, Clinton said she was proud of her mother's support of an affordable higher education.

She went into describing her mother's support for doubling the Pell Grant maximum to $10,800 and expanding eligibility, as well as supporting the government moving into direct student lending at a maximum interest rate of 3.5 percent.

Such a proposal would provide the opportunity for students to work at non-profit groups after they graduate, without the worry of financial burdens. If certain payments were made, Clinton said, and a person was a teacher, firefighter or other public serviceperson, the debt would be forgiven after 20 years if not fully paid at such time.

As the discussion shifted to the topic of health care, Clinton described that her mother is working towards providing universal health care coverage to people who are most likely not to have insurance, among whom Clinton named were "women, minorities, or those in the bottom 25 percent level of income."

For these people without health care, Chelsea said 47 million are consistently living without health care and 100 million have lived without insurance within the past year.

The former first daughter said she felt the time "[has come] to rethink both insurance and delivery [of medical services]."

She discussed a plan where currently insured citizens may maintain their health coverage if they are happy, or switch to a partially government-funded policy equivalent to the coverage congressional officials and employees receive.

Clinton emphasized that people are cheaper to treat if their conditions are prevented.

Continued...

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