The U.S., the "richest nation in the world," must have "quality, affordable, accessible health care available to every American," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said in an interview on NPR's "Morning Edition" on Tuesday. Rodham Clinton, who might seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, said that she continues to support proposals for universal health coverage. She said that she "learned a lot about how we have to do this," adding that proposals for universal health coverage require "everybody believing that the system over the long run will function better for them and not for somebody else." Rodham Clinton said, "I think we can do that now." In addition, when asked about concerns over the cost of proposals for universal health coverage, Rodham Clinton said, "If we had been governed sensibly the last six years, with the balanced budget and the surplus which this administration inherited, we would have been a long way down the road to deal with Social Security and Medicare and all of the financial challenges they pose" (Inskeep, "Morning Edition," NPR, 12/19).

Audio and a partial transcript of the segment is available online.