Giuliani: buy private health care

From Dispatches from the Culture Wars comes this link to the Iowa Independent, a typical GOP totally-missing-the-point story (to be fair, some Democrats miss it too):

Giuliani's health-care plan is firmly based in the private sector. He proposes a $15,000 tax exemption for individual health insurance. "If you can find it cheaper, you can keep the difference." He said with 50 million to 100 million Americans participating, this would create a marketplace for affordable individual plans: "Lots of people would buy private health insurance if it was as attractive as employer plans." All plans would have to have some co-payment, to encourage people to make choices about their care.

And if you make minimum wage, you make $12,000 a year. Is the government going to actually pay your health care plan for you?

If his plan was a credit, not an exemption, this might work. But if you can't afford the health care plan because you have to, you know, pay your rent and your heating and your grocer, and you make so little money you aren't paying income tax anyway, how exactly is this going to help you? Especially with the co-pay?

"Lots of people would buy private health insurance if it was as attractive as employer plans."

And lots of people would buy health insurance if they just had some money. What about them, Rudy? And you know what? "9/11" is not the right answer.