By Kristin Jensen
Bloomberg.com

Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) — Hillary Clinton said during an online forum of Democratic presidential candidates that she would curb the power of insurers as part of a universal health- care coverage plan she’s set to release Sept. 17.

“I intend to dramatically rein in the influence of the insurance companies,” Clinton said during the recorded forum posted today on Yahoo! Inc.’s Web site. “They have worked to the detriment of our economy and of our health-care system.”

Clinton, who as first lady in the early 1990s led a failed attempt to overhaul the nation’s health-care system, didn’t give any details about her proposal. She said she learned through her earlier defeat during the administration of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, that she needs to win broad support for changes to the way health care is paid for in the U.S.

“A plan is necessary but not sufficient,” Clinton said. “We’ve got to have a political consensus in order to withstand the enormous opposition from those interests who will have something to lose in a really reformed health-care system.”

Among others, Clinton got suggestions from a group of chief executive officers and John Castellani, the president of the Business Roundtable. The group, which represents about 160 CEOs from companies such as drugmaker Pfizer Inc. and health insurer Aetna Inc., is pushing for a policy that involves both private insurers and the government as well as incentives for preventive care and ways to compare treatment regimens, Castellani said.

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