Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Day 4: Every County Counts Tour

Working for Health Care for All

Throughout the "Every County Counts Tour," Hillary has said that when it comes to making change, you can't just hope for it and you can't just demand it - you need to work hard to get it done. Today she explains why that is particularly true when it comes to getting health care for every American.

Hillary kicks off the day with an event in Independence, where she will be introduced by Joe Ward, the upstate New York constituent whose son Hillary helped get a bone marrow transplant for a life-threatening illness. Joe appeared in a campaign ad recently and provides a testimonial video for www.thehillaryiknow.com in which he thanks Hillary for saving his son's life by getting the hospitals to absorb the cost of the procedure.

Hillary and Joe then move on to Elkader, followed by an event in Clarion where Hillary is joined by retired physician's assistant and local health care advocate Naomi Maxheimer, and an event in Des Moines.

Fittingly, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades will announce its endorsement of Hillary today, citing her ability to do the hard work needed to achieve universal health care. The endorsement further cements Hillary's standing as by far the most popular labor candidate- with the support of unions totaling over 6 million members, double any other candidate running.

The painters, Joe, and Naomi know that Hillary will work hard to get everyone covered, because fighting for change is what she's done for 35 years. During her days as First Lady of Arkansas Hillary worked to improve rural health care in underserved areas. Not only did she stand up for universal health care in 1993 when it wasn't as popular as it is today, but she rolled up her sleeves and continued to fight after the plan did not get enacted. The result was that she helped pass the Children's Health Insurance Program that now covers 6 million kids nationwide.

As First Lady, Hillary also helped create a vaccination program that immunizes nearly every child in America. In the Senate, she worked across party lines to extend health care access to all National Guard and Reserve members, and passed legislation to make sure pediatric drugs are safe for our children.

That's the record of change Hillary's spent her life making, but as she'll explain to Iowans today, she knows her work isn't done.

It's the fourth of the five-day "Every County Counts Tour" that will reach all 99 of Iowa's counties in an effort to energize her supporters, strengthen the campaign's organization, and make its case to people who have not yet made up their minds about who to support on January 3rd.