Obama-Keyes: on Health Care

Alexi Giannoulias: Reform it and fix it: negotiate drug rates for Medicare

KIRK: That's right.

Q: Mr. Giannoulias, will stand by health care reform as passed by the Congress?

GIANNOULIAS: Look, the health care bill was far from a perfect vehicle. That being said, I think it did some important things that the congressman wants to repeal. The denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, making sure that kids in between college and their first job have health care. And I think morally we shouldn't have 51 million Americans without affordable, basic health care. But again, there's a lot more to be done. I would have loved to have seen a provision there to negotiate drug rates for Medicare the way that the VA does.

KIRK: By the way, coverage of pre-existing conditions was in our bill.

GIANNOULIAS: The difference is he wants to repeal it, I want to reform it and fix it and make sure that it works for small businesses and their families.

Mark Kirk: Repeal Obamacare, then offer a better alternative

KIRK: That's right. We have to be the party of better. We just can't be the party of no. So we put together the Republican alternative which I introduced into Congress, 400 pages. It was not allowed for a debate, or even discussion or a vote. But it did three big things: first, the Medical Rights Act that says Congress should make no law interfering with the decisions you made with your doctor. Second, lawsuit reform which was completely skipped and needs to be in there. And third, Congress should defend your right to buy health insurance from any state in the union if you find the plan less expensive to cover your families.

Q: All right. But you will try to repeal it?

KIRK: Yes.

Alan Keyes: Give people generic drugs information to save their money

Alan Keyes: People should take care of their own health

Barack Obama: Allowing seniors to bulk purchase will save taxpayers’ money

A: It was fundamentally flawed as a piece of legislation. The central premise of this prescription drug bill that was passed by Bush was that the federal government, through the Medicare program, and senior citizens could not negotiate for the best possible price with the drug companies, so that they could actually get the kinds of discounts the Canadians enjoy for the drugs that are manufactured here in the US. That was done because the drug companies didn’t let it happen. What we have is a bill that’s bad for taxpayers and bad for senior citizens. Taxpayers are hit with a half-a-trillion-dollar tab that was originally estimated at three hundred billion. And about 3 weeks later, seniors have a big donut hole in the middle of their benefits. What I would do is I would say that senior citizens, through the Medicare program they can go and negotiate the best possible price as a consequence of being bulk purchasers.

Barack Obama: Crises happen in our lives and healthcare is necessary