John McCain on Medicare and the U.S. National Debt

Sen. John McCain says the national debt is mainly due to 'the dramatic expansion of entitlement programs. He goes on to talk more about health insurance issues.
This interview took place on October 12, 2007, at Iowa Public Television.
http://www.iptv.org/campaign08

Yepsen: Senator, I want to ask about you national debt. It's related to health care. Comptroller general says it's headed through the roof. What specific steps would you take to curb the national debt?

McCain: The reason why we have the national debt at the level we have is because of spending, and also the dramatic expansion of entitlement programs without paying for them.

Now, I'm a guy that voted against the Medicare prescription drug bill. Why? Because it was eight hundred to a trillion dollars of unfunded liability that our kids are going to have to pay for. And by the way, you know what? You're paying for my drugs. Do you know that? Don't you think I've voted enough pay raises for myself that I can pay for my own? I mean every time we have an entitlement program, even if it's worthy, we expand it and we're not going to pay for it.

On the s-chip; I know what public opinion is about the s-chip. Do you know how we're supposed to be paying for the s-chip program, the additional $35 billion that they want? Probably a lot of Americans don't know. A dollar increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes.

Now, so we're going to take care of children's health, but we're encouraging everybody to smoke! I mean 22 million new smokers we need to pay for this program?

Yepsen: You describe the problem with Medicare as an entitlement that's -- but what do you do now? I mean it's growing. Are you going to raise some taxes? Are you going to cut the benefit? How do you deal with it?

McCain: With competition in these areas and to make sure that we can implement these reforms, it will bring down costs. And part of that will be competition, whether it be for insurance companies competing for different categories of people, whether it be pharmaceutical companies competing, whether it be -- really one of the important aspects of this is to put more responsibility on the person who is insured.




Right now, as you know, when it's paid for and taken care of, then people are not as responsible as they will be and part of that is a higher co-pay but it's also more of an investment on the part of the person who is the recipient.

And one other thing: with low income people right now who cannot afford health insurance, I'm for giving each individual $2,500, family $5,000 in tax credits. Then they can go out and purchase the health insurance of their choice, and that I think is important. Then they'll be very careful how they invest that $2,500 or $5,000.

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[avp715]

The problem is NOT SOCIAL PROGRAM SPENDING! ITS FUCKING IRAQ!!!

Hes talking about 35 billion dollars as if its completely evil when you associate it with medicare, yet he has no problem spending more than TWICE that EVERY SINGLE MONTH in iraq!!! WHAT THE FUCK

[chaseef]

haha, ok im glad im not the only one who cocked an eyebrow when he said that.

[th3gtr0]

@tickyul with $600 billion since 1947. With ever greater urban sprawl and higher gas prices, automobiles will not be a financial acceptable method of transportation for the average American. This is one of many reasons I support high-speed rail. High-speed rail has the potential to pay for itself, such as the Tokaido Shinkansen and TGV-PSE. High-speed rail lower our dependence on imported energy, meaning we won't have to spend $8 billion a MONTH to secure oil resources in the Middle East.

[tickyul]

@Maximara Well, I would posit that the Demorats have this golden idea inside THEIR heads...........that insane idea is they can do just about everything for all citizens....and some non-citizens. The fact of the matter is Demorats are a failure in many ways, just like the filthy Republirats are glassy-eyed, babysit the world nuts. But hey, The Bamster is joining the Republirats, he has his own little war going on in Libya, you should be proud. Can't admit that both parties are lame as hell??????

[th3gtr0]

@tickyul The first step will be to reduce military spending, which is $600 billion every year right now. The next biggest military spender is the People's Republic of China, which is spending $120 billion. We're spending way too much on the wrong things. Highways are increasingly becoming more costly to use. By that I mean that the proportion of "user fees" like gas taxes and whatnot do not come close to pay for the yearly maintenance costs of highways. We've subsidized the highways

[tickyul]

@Maximara The Jungle........haha, I used to work in a used meat factory. No, in all seriousness, the right...for the most part .....does not want to do away with all government and regulations.....that is just a red herring brought up by the left wing wackos. Look, the US of Ameritard is looking like a big fail......I blame both parties and the Ameritard people. And the National Debt.....that sucker is going up no matter what.......20 trillion by 2016.......heck yeah.

[Maximara]

@tickyul The GOP is no better with it if we cut taxes the extra money produced will eliminate the debt nonsense they spew. They have this if regulations are holding us back--if we deregulate everything then Nirvana will happen.

[biggerturtle]

@avp715 Fuck you, fuck medicare and fuck iraq Stop ALL social security, medicare and medicaid Then we will balance the budget and get rid of all the slackers

[Maximara]

@tickyul Like the so called market worked well. Read "The Jungle" or "Midnight is a Place" for examples of just how bad things were before the regulations the GOP would like to gut existed. The GOP need to only look at history to see this deregulate everything in sight idea of theirs does NOT work and yet off they go.

[tickyul]

@Maximara Just what I thought, your idealism makes you unrealistic, just like most liberal Demorats. No system is perfect, we have to work with the system in place. Oh, I forgot, Liberals have the prize inside their heads "IF ONLY WE COULD IMPLEMENT OUR UNREALISTIC POLICIES. THE USA WILL BE NIRVANA". Yeah, that is why the Demorats are itchin to get more money from taxpayers, more pathetic BABY MOMMA GIVEAWAY TYPE PROGRAMS. Your wild statements make you an Ideologue, without a doubt, I use logic.

[Maximara]

@tickyul WHERE was this balance of powers when McCarthy was running riot? Where was this balance of powers when Iran-contra was going on or when Reagan and both Bushes were spending like drunken sailors? May I remind you the GOP are all for the coathanger or Dr Ripper method of abortion that existed before Roe vs Wade. It is YOU who are the ideologue.