Biden On Deregulating Health Care

Here's what Biden said at the top of the debate:

Matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry, deregulate it and let the free market move, like he did for the banking industry.

This has been chided by factcheck.org (and by me on our air) as misleading. The comment in the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries about banking referred to interstate use of ATMS (or at least so McCain's aides say).

More broadly, however, Biden is correct that McCain wants to significantly deregulate health care by allowing people to purchase individual health insurance policies across state lines -- thus depriving state insurance regulators of their ability to protect their own state residents. That bill -- originally introduced by Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, has been vehemently opposed by many state insurance commissioners, attorneys general, and consumer advocates.

-- Julie Rovner

9:40 PM ET | 10- 2-2008 | permalink

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