McCain Likes Retail Clinics, Drug Imports and Tax Credits

John McCain will be talking health care this morning with a bunch of journos, including the WSJ’s Laura Meckler. Click here to watch a video feed of the event.

Like many Republicans, McCain is pushing for new tax credits that would put individual insurance on a more equal footing with employer-sponsored insurance. But he also calls for other, more controversial steps.

He wants safety protocols that would allow importation of cheaper drugs from foreign countries, a possible cost-saving measure that has been loudly opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. He’d also support clinics in retail outlets, which have been spreading rapidly despite objections from many doctors’ groups.

McCain describes his health platform here, and the Health Blog wrote about it here. His talk today is part of a series of candidate forums organized by the Federation of American Hospitals and Families USA and hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. .

Several candidates have already appeared at the forum. Read our posts on what Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich and Hillary Clinton had to say.

We’re liveblogging McCain’s talk.

11:10 Sounds like he’s reading from his Web site, listing one idea after another — tort reform, transparency, biotech generics, curbing costs, etc.

11:14 “I don’t think there should be mandates for health insurance.” He’s distinguishing himself here from Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, who have called for mandates. His Republican rivals haven’t called for national mandates. “I’m not gonna force Americans to do it. I don’t think that’s the role of government….If we bring down health-care costs more Americans are going to be able to afford it.”