Hillary Clinton Readies for New Health Care Fight

LAS VEGAS – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she's ready to "return to the lion's den" to fight for reforms she failed to implement as first lady.

"I've been down this road, I know it won't be easy," she told a crowd of about 600 people at a Las Vegas community center. "But I think the time has come."

The New York senator laid out her plans to open up the health care coverage for federal employees and members of Congress to the public, while capping premiums and making coverage plans portable across states and employers.

It was her first to Nevada since mid-August and her seventh to the state since launching her campaign. She reiterated the importance she put on the state, which holds its early caucus on Jan. 19.

Clinton remains the leading Democratic presidential candidate in Nevada, favored by 39 percent of party members who said they were likely to participate in the Nevada caucus in the most recent poll. That compared to 21 percent who favored Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.