John Shadegg: “I believe creating government programs and forcing people into those programs is not the preferable way to care for…”

“I believe creating government programs and forcing people into those programs is not the preferable way to care for people or to help them. I personally think we would be doing better to give people choice, give them in my case a refundable tax credit and let them buy a health care plan that suits their needs, not to be forced into a government-controlled, government-run bureaucratic, rationed-care program, but give them choice. I was talking with one of the doctors in our conference earlier today, and he pointed out that the reimbursement rates under SCHIP, because it is a government program, are dramatically lower than under many private programs. So kids who do drop their private health insurance and go on a government-run SCHIP program will actually get worst care. I know that the gentleman is an expert on budget and finance, and I think that chart demonstrates, and I don't know whether you want to call it hypocrisy or whether you want to call it trickery or whatever you want to call it, it is playing fast and loose with the budget facts on this bill. Maybe the gentleman would like to direct his remarks to that in light of the fact that the cigarette tax, and I have tried to make a big point out of this tonight, that the cigarette tax in the bill isn't enough to fund the bill. It is kind of a scam. It is kind of a scheme.”