Virginians Hit McCain On New Call To Let Health Insurance Industry Run Amok, Say Democrats

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 28 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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In light of last week's Wall Street upheaval, Judy Feder, Democratic nominee for US Representative from Virginia's 10th Congressional District, Barbara Favola, Vice Chair of the Arlington County Board and a member of Virginia's State Health Board, and concerned Virginians held a press conference outside of John McCain's campaign headquarters in Arlington, VA to challenge McCain's new magazine article calling for the deregulation of the health insurance companies "just as we have done over the last decade in banking." McCain's article was just published in the September/October issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. In spite of the unprecedented crisis created by Bush-McCain deregulatory policies, McCain wants to put Americans' health care at risk with the same approach.

The text of McCain's call for deregulating health insurance companies follows:

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation." - John McCain.

Below are excerpts from the press conference

Judy Feder, Democratic nominee for US Representative from Virginia's 10th Congressional District:

"We're here today, all of us, to repudiate Senator McCain's call to deregulate the health insurance companies. Senator McCain wrote in this month's issue of an insurance magazine that we should deregulate the insurance companies--and I quote--'as we have done over the last decade in banking.' In other words, John McCain wants to run the health care industry just like they've been running Wall Street--straight into the ground...After risking the American people's retirement and jeopardizing the economic security of our country, now they want Americans to suffer the same uncertainty about their health care...I'm here today, as someone who has spent my life trying to get everybody affordable health care and fix our broken system, and I'm here to say to John McCain: No way. It's a risk we can't afford."

Barbara Favola, Vice Chair of the Arlington County Board and a member of Virginia's State Health Board:

"The election before us is about choices. As we stand before John McCain's campaign headquarters and one of his homes, one of his many homes, John McCain's risky health care plan won't do a whole lot to help the people I just talked about...working families need someone who will stand up for them, someone who will tell the oil lobbyists, the insurance companies, and other special interest groups that the average American must come first. Can we trust John McCain to deliver that message? No. On the other hand Barack Obama understands the struggles of working class families. He understands that access to health care is a basic necessity of life and the pursuit of happiness and the American dream really don't happen until these basic necessities are taken care of. Barack Obama has a package that respects American families that tells them they are valued and helps them provide for their children and their future."

The Democratic Party