http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2003_1214.html"...In my first 100 days as President, I'll offer America a real deal on health care that starts with cutting costs and stopping skyrocketing premiums. Make no mistake, no one in this race will fight harder than I will to cover the uninsured and get to universal coverage. But there is more to the health care problem in America than covering the uninsured. The major reason Americans don't have coverage is they can't afford it. And it's not enough to get everyone covered if the whole country is still staggering under the weight of our medical bills.
Parents shouldn't have to worry about their checkbooks when their children need a check-up. I ask you to examine my health care plan. If you'd like to see it in full detail, you can get it at www.johnkerry.com. And when you examine it, I guarantee you you'll find it the most far-reaching plan to control costs and make health care affordable for all Americans.
The average health care cost per person in Iowa is about $4,000. Under my plan, you'll see real savings of up to $1,000 on that bill. That's $1,000 that can help buy groceries, pay the bills, and give your family a break.
Here's how we'll do it. Right now, only four out of every one thousand insurance claims deal with health care costs over $50,000. Insurance companies, however, end up spending a fifth of their expenses paying for these very few cases. If they're spending that much, you can bet everyone else's premiums are going to go up. Under my plan the government will pick up most of the tab for these expensive cases - and the premiums for middle-class families will go down.
We'll also cut the fraud and waste out of the health care system. It would be one thing if every dime of that $4,000 was being spent on making Americans healthier. It's not. A quarter of the money Americans spend on health care goes to non-medical costs like paying bills and handling paperwork. If we can have banks that use computers and technology to cut down transaction costs to just a penny, we can surely have a health care system that does the same. Our money should be going to health care, not filling out forms.
It's also time to give Americans a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare. Right here in Iowa, the price of prescription drugs has risen by over 10% in one year! Not surprisingly, the big drug companies just spent $139 million lobbying Congress so that they could get a Medicare reform bill. And guess what? They got $139 billion back in special interest giveaways. That's 1000% return on their investment. In this White House, you certainly get what you pay for-and more.
Iowa seniors can't afford prescription drugs as it is. The average Iowan has to buy 12 prescriptions a year-and now they're being stuck with a plan that leaves millions worse off by raising prices up to $200 more a month. Right here in Iowa, this bill means that 28,350 Iowans will lose their retiree health benefits, and 57,200 will pay more for prescription drugs. These aren't just numbers-they are our parents and our grandparents-the people who need care the most.
This bill is such a sham that the AARP had to resort to hiring actors for their TV ads. Real seniors know better, and real seniors are getting the shaft.
When I'm President, we'll make sure drug companies come clean about the money they spend influencing doctors and others. We'll close the loopholes that prevent more affordable prescriptions from making it to your pharmacy. We'll make sure that those without drug coverage aren't left out in the cold. And we'll be able to provide seniors with the real prescription drug coverage under Medicare that they've been waiting for too long. And I'll have a simple message for the drug company lobbyists and HMO executives whose campaign contributions buy them special favors from this White House: "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."
You know, this issue has become very personal to me. In the last two years, I've seen the health care system up close, its ups and its downs, inside and out. I've lost both my parents and just one year ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I stand before you 100% cured now, but I was lucky. As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren't so lucky, and we need to change that. That's why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves. We will cover 96% of all Americans, and 99% of our children. Because your family's health care is just as important as any politicians' in Washington..."
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