House Proceeding 05-21-09 on May 21st, 2009 :: 2:13:40 to 2:15:30
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2:13:35 to 2:13:40( Edit History Discussion )

Keith Ellison: voting against any bill that does not include it? and this question was asked by

2:13:40 to 2:15:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jim McDermott

2:13:41 to 2:14:01( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: 1,434 people and the first person to ask the question was mike. mr. mcdermott: in my view if we have a plan brought out on this floor without a plic option in it, it is not universal coverage. because that means the insurance companies have won the game. and if they believe in the free

2:14:02 to 2:14:22( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: enterprise system, then they believe in competion. and they ought to be able to compete with a government plan that's well done and not given any special advantages, just the fact that it's going to be done without profit so you're not going to be worrying about -- insurance companies worry about profits for stockholders.

2:14:23 to 2:14:43( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: the government doesn't worry about profits for stockholders, it worries about giving services to human beings. that's why the administrative cost of medicare are so much less than those of an insurance company. so i can't imagine myself voting for a plan that does not have a public option in it.

2:14:44 to 2:15:04( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: one of the little tricks that people have to be watching for. in the part d in medicare, which was the drug befit, they said, well, if there aren't two plans in an area from the private sector, then they would go and go to a public option. guess what?

2:15:05 to 2:15:25( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: the industry went out there and got involved everywhere. mostly because we gave them such heavy subsidies that they could make a lot of money. they said, yeah, we'll go in and treat -- we'll deliver drugs to people in this country. it was a false public option. it says public option in the bill, but they knew it would never happen because they

2:15:26 to 2:15:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: subsidized the pharmaceutical industry to such an extent that