Buchanan on Health Care

Text excerpted from Pat Buchanan's speech at the AARP Conference, Bedford, NH
January 26, 1996

Well let me talk about the veterans benefits that I know are
a concern to some.  My view is the veteran's hospital system,
is there for the veterans, I know there're problems when you
have surgeons, who are not doing a single act of surgery all
year long.  And I know there may be, to many, or something
like that our hospitals are empty.  But those, hospitals I
believe, should remain, set aside for the veterans, to whom
we owe a debt, that can never be repaid.[sporadic applause]

Question and Answer:

Mike Cuthbert:
Another question from our audience.  Candidates on both sides
have said there are significant savings to be made through
controlling waste, fraud and abuse of the Medicare system.
How convinced are you that the funds saved in those areas,
will be significant enough to make other reforms less
important?

Pat Buchanan:
I'm not an expert on that but I'll tell you I've talked to
any number of doctors, who have told me, there is an
incredible amount of abuse in the system, and others who are
knowledgeable about it and who deal with it on a regular
basis.  Now there's no way you're going to eliminate because
man is imperfect all fraud and abuse and waste, but to the
degree you can and it ought to be done.  I mean these are
dollars that are being set aside, out of contributions of
workers to help seniors and provide medical care for em and
they provided the money themselves, and I think you'll do
your best to squeeze any, waste fraud and abuse that's in
there.  Exactly how much it is, I'm really not an expert to
say.