Edwards touts universal health care at Georgia stop

[JohnLocke]

Edwards touts universal health care at Georgia stop
By Doug Gross--Associated Press
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
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ATLANTA - A day after doing so on a nationally televised debate, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards called for a universal health care system on Tuesday, in front of hundreds of cheering supporters.

At one of his no-frills "Small Change for Big Change" fundraisers, Edwards repeated the story of James Lowe, a 51-year-old Virginia coal miner whose cleft palate kept him from talking for five decades until a dentist last year volunteered to perform a $3,000 orthodontic procedure for free.

"He lived for 50 years of his life in the United States of America - the richest nation in the world - with a medical problem that was completely fixable," Edwards said. "When are we going to stand up to these insurance companies and drug companies?"

Edwards returned to health care as a major theme just one day after he raised his voice and pounded his podium during Monday's CNN-YouTube Democratic debate, saying Americans "should be outraged" at stories of people who were failed by the U.S. health system.

He said his health care plan would offer full coverage for mental health and guarantee insurance coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions. It would be funded by rolling back recent tax cuts on people making more than $200,000 a year and working to drive down insurance and drug costs.

"They're not going to give up their power voluntarily," Edwards said. "We need a president of the United States who is going to take their power away from them."

Edwards was introduced by his wife, Elizabeth, and former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a longtime supporter who was defeated by Republican Sonny Perdue in 2002.

The Edwards campaign on Tuesday also rolled out a list of endorsements - from former state Democratic Party chairman David Worley and Sacha Taylor, wife of former Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, to former U.S. Rep. Ben Jones, perhaps best known for playing Cooter on the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard."

"He comes from a community like mine in Laurens County - he's interested in health care and retraining people for the jobs of the future," said state House Democratic Leader Dubose Porter, of Dublin, who endorses Edwards. "John Edwards as president would be good for my community."
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[Stop Cornyn]

1. Thanks for posting this