John McCain
Town Hall Meeting
Allentown, PA 04/30/08
TRANSCRIPT:
QUESTIONER: ". . . I am kind of a liason between services provided and insurance companies and patients and families . . . I believe that the health care costs are rising not so much so because of providers but more so because of insurance compainies and under your proposed health care, um, resolution how do you plan on having the insurance companies being held accountable for the fact that they're not reimbursing us the way that they should and thus making their members have such high, uh, out of pocket responsibilities?
JOHN MCCAIN: " . . .one of the frustrations that Americans feel today, particularly those whose health insurance is provided by their employer is that they don't have a choice. It's the insurance that, that their employer provides to them . . . what I want to do is have Americans have a choice and be in charge, the families to be in charge of their health insurance choices. I want to give every family in America a $5000 refundable tax credit that they can take and go across state lines . . . if there's a better health insurance plan in Arizona, let them take it. You can do that with automobile insurance. And I believe that that gives Americans a choice in kind of a competition. If they want to keep the insurance that their employer provides to them, fine . . . I'm for abolishing the write off for the employer to provide the healthcare by giving the employee the $5000 tax credit and that is more than enough to pay any taxes that might be associated with that benefit and also gives them the choice if they want to go someplace else and choose the insurer of their choice. I believe that choice and competition are really the keys to frankly the success in education in America and certainly healthcare. And my friends, if you think the government should take over the healthcare system in America, please let me know after you go to the airport and go through screening . . . I want to make healthcare affordable and available. I do not want a system of healthcare in America that we see in Canada and we see in other countries in the world where we see government healthcare systems . . . "
LABEL: JM PA 4-30 (GR#81) DHGIS - Clip H
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