Raising taxes to fund a universal health care plan isn't political suicide, John Edwards said today.
"No, I think it's called telling the truth," the Democratic presidential contender said in Kansas City.
Edwards, who stopped here for just a few hours to raise campaign money at the Mission Hills home of a lawyer, Tom Jones, unveiled a national health-care plan this week.
One component of that plan: repealing the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans who earn more than $200,000 a year.
"What I believe is that we have a dysfunctional health care system," he told Buzz Blog in an interview. "We have to repair our health care system, make health care more efficient, more affordable to cover the 47 million people who don't have coverage.
"All those things aren't free."
More in Thursday's Star.
Posted by Steve Kraske
Not only that - most bankruptcies are caused by a catastrophic health crisis in a family.
Health care is a national crisis & I love the fact that Edwards is even TALKING about it.
Posted by: We need health care | February 07, 2007 at 03:46 PM
But taxing people and giving it to health care organizations is NOT the correct thing to do. The health care organizations will figure a way to tap all the revenue from proposed taxes then we will have to raise those taxes to pay for the increases.
Everyone involved need to take a look at there part in the health care situation right now. It isn't just the health care providers, but it is also the insurance companies and ourselves. I don't know how many times I have heard co-workers say that I pay for my insurance so I need to make sure I get my money's worth out of it. It just runs in circles.
What needs to be looked at is the costs of the castrophic and extreme treatments. It is sort of ridiculous to have to pay 100k for someone in their last dying days. Having to cover those costs is what is killing the health system we have today.
Posted by: BeProudAmerica | February 07, 2007 at 08:08 PM
BeProud, There are 46 million Americans without health care in this country. How will your proposal take care of this?
Posted by: Old Drum | February 07, 2007 at 11:16 PM
Just Joe Lieberman's "war tax" plan and use it to create universal healthcare. What's leftover can go to deficit reduction.
Posted by: dingojoe | February 08, 2007 at 02:24 AM
Dingojoe's plan has appeal. SOMEBODY is going to have to pay, and we who CAN afford insurance are going to have to step up to help those less fortunate.
Posted by: Mizzou82 | February 08, 2007 at 06:08 AM