The board of the American Association of Retired Persons has decided not to endorse President Clinton's health plan, despite a concerted campaign by the president and Hillary Rodham Clinton to win support from the elderly, officers of the organization said Thursday.
First word of the decision came from administration officials, who said they were somewhat disappointed but not completely surprised. They noted that the board had not endorsed any specific alternative to the Clinton plan.Meeting in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 21-member board stood by a statement issued in November, which described the Clinton proposal as "the strongest and most realistic blueprint to date for achieving our goals."
The goals include universal health insurance, cost controls, prescription drug coverage and a national program of long-term care.
The administration, in public and in private, had sought a much stronger show of support from the organization, which has 33 million members. An endorsement would have been a boon to the White House after three major business groups withheld their endorsements of the Clinton plan earlier this month.
Leaders of the association said health-care reform was their top priority but that there was no clear consensus among members for a particular legislative proposal.