Political Quotes

“As I was saying, I know there are many people in this Chamber who believe a single-payer health care system is the best way, the most efficient way, the most compassionate way--to use these wonderful, glorious terms--to provide health insurance in this country. Obviously, I disagree, but it is a legitimate point of view. I think we should have that debate. We had that debate in 1994 with the Clinton health care proposal, and we had a good debate on the floor of the Senate about the kind of health care delivery system we should have. But it was a deliberate debate about how we can change the health care system by a direct act of the Congress. The problem with this legislation is that we are going to severely undermine one health care system, which is a health care system that is principally funded through employer contributions, and we are not going to replace it with anything. You see, as many of my colleagues well know, if employers stop providing health insurance, then people are going to have to go out with their aftertax dollars and buy health care, and the costs will be prohibitive.”