there s a lot more to be done. i would have loved to have seen a provision to let the secretary of health and human services negotiate bulk drug rates for medicare the way the v.a. does. there s missed opportunities in the implementation coverage of preexisting conditions was in our bill. i ve traveled to the top health care systems and they ll talk about these cuts as representing between a $30 million and $100 million cuts per hospital across illinois leaving them to cancel expansions. the effects of the cuts of your legislation are already being felt by the illinois health care facilities. the difference is, he wants to repeal it, i want to fix it and reform it so it works for businesses and families. let me move on to some of the personal aspects of this race. it s been pretty nasty. negative tone by both of you. here was a poll in the chicago tribune, wgn. who do you consider more trustworthy or honest? 35 giannoulias, 30% kirk, 16% neither.
we re going to have a conversation and go through the issues and there s a lot to get to, so, let s get to it. i don t have to tell you both the specter of president obama hangs over this race because indeed it was his senate seat that you are now vying for. it was on election day, 2004, in chicago, when the president and his family appeared and he was then the president-elect, this is what he said. it s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to america. mr. giannoulias, let s start with you. how would you define the change that has come to america under president barack obama? i think it s important to put things in context. if you look at the mess that he inherited and the enormous challenges that he inherited, a $1 trillion deficit, increasing job losses, i think he has done everything he can to help turn this economy around. the question is going forward, what more can we do? we focu
many times, costs more than $2,000, giving a perverse incentive for employers in 2014 to drop coverage. are you running on health care reform? is that something you will stand by? as passed by the congress? i am running on jobs and helping small businesses. the health care bill was far from a perfect vehicle. that being said, it did some important things that the congressman wants to repeal, denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, making sure that kids in between college and their first job have health care and i think, morally, we shouldn t have 51 million americans without affordable, basic health care. the health care system as we have it right now, we spend over 17% of our gdp on health care. it s bankrupting our families. it s bankrupting small businesses and bankrupting this country. the congressman has the talking points of $500 million in medicare cuts. the truth is a lot of medicare expenditures are fraud, waste and abuse. and what this does is create efficiencies
employees or pay a $2,000 fine. but health insurance in america, many times, costs more than $2,000, giving a perverse incentive for employers in 2014 to drop coverage. are you running on health care reform? is that something you will stand by? as passed by the congress? i am running on jobs and helping small businesses. the health care bill was far from a perfect vehicle. that being said, it did some important things that the congressman wants to repeal, denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, making sure that kids in between college and their first job have health care and i think, morally, we shouldn t have 51 million americans without affordable, basic health care. the health care system as we have it right now, we spend over 17% of our gdp on health care. it s bankrupting our families. it s bankrupting small businesses and bankrupting this country. the congressman has the talking points of $500 million in medicare cuts. the truth is a lot of medicare expenditures are f
this is a very serious charge. do you accept his explanation? that s for the voters. but even more troubling than untruth was the military record than his phantom teaching career. more troubling to me are his votes in washington, d.c. here is someone where you don t know where he stands. the chicago sun times pointed out friday we don t know where he stands on important issues. now, david, the people of illinois may not always agree with everything i say, but they always know where i stand. he says he votes for cap and trade and doing it for the security of the united states and then as a republican for the senate and said he would never vote that way again and it was a huge mistake. they asked him on the don t ask, don t tell. he said he s not sure yet. i ll tell you where i stand. that s leadership. that s what the people of illinois want and that s what i m give them the rest of my career. that s the fundamental difference in principles, values and more or less between myself an