Elizabeth Edwards: McCain’s health care plan ‘keeps the costs low by cutting benefits.’

This morning, Elizabeth Edwards appeared on both the NBC Today Show and MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss her views on John McCain’s health care proposals. McCain’s plan “keeps the costs low by by cutting benefits to people,” Edwards told Joe Scarborough. On his campaign website, McCain argues that “bringing costs under control is the only way to stop the erosion of affordable health insurance.” Edwards responded, “We’re not interested in health care insurance. We’re interested in health care. And there’s a real difference between the two. Maybe he keeps the price of the insurance down but not the cost of the health care itself.”

Watch it:

[flv http://video.thinkprogress.org/2008/04/elizhc.320.240.flv]

Transcript:

BRZEZINSKI: So you’re saying Senator McCain wouldn’t get coverage under his own plan?

EDWARDS: Well, he’s the beneficiary of some great government programs, but in terms of private insurance, he would not be guaranteed coverage under his own plan.

BRZEZINSKI: Oh, OK.

EDWARDS: Neither would I or anybody with a pre-existing condition. Imagine how many families that involves across this country.

BRZEZINSKI: We’ll have to ask him about that, because his campaign actually tells us that he’s the only candidate with serious plans to control health care costs. So we’ll (inaudible) at him tomorrow.

SCARBOROUGH: Yes, he suggests, Elizabeth, that it’s costs that matter the most and he’s the only one that’s addressing those costs. What would you say to that?

EDWARDS: Well, first of all, he’s not the only one addressing it. In fact, every candidate is addressing it. But his particular plan to address it keeps the costs low by avoiding coverage of — by cutting benefits to people.

We’ll end up having these bare bones policies with high deductibles and lots of exclusions, including a really important exclusion in real people’s lives for pre-existing conditions.

And it’s really truly important that we make certain that our health care coverage provides the health care we need. We don’t care about having a piece of paper. We care about having our costs be something that we can afford.

A high deductible cost policy or — which is one of the ways in which he keeps health care costs down — or one that limits our benefits is not the way Americans want to see us go. We need actual coverage.

We’re not interested in health care insurance. We’re interested in health care. And there’s a real difference between the two. Maybe he keeps the price of the insurance down but not the cost of the health care itself.