Presidential candidate Ron Paul says the health care reform law President Obama signed isn’t “socialized medicine” as some of his fellow Republicans charge. 

“Today the corporations really run the show,” Paul said during a 20-minute interview organized by AARP. “The drug companies, the insurance companies they’re involved in all the reforms. If it’s prescription drugs, you know, the insurance companies and drug companies like those things. and they actually end up having a lot to say in ObamaCare, so it isn’t socialized medicine so much as it’s a privilege for corporations to make more money. What are the corporations doing right now? Their raising their fees.”

Paul said the cost of medical care is going up because the government’s too involved in the health care system.

“Technology hasn’t lowered the cost of medical care like it lowers the cost of all other industries because there’s too much money going in,” Paul said “…You have to stop the inflation…and you have to also allow more competition in the medical system.”

Paul was a doctor in private practice for 30 years. Paul said he charged different rates for his patients, based on their ability to pay, but he argues the current, government-managed system forces doctors and hospitals to charge the maximum for everything. 

“This is why I’m so strongly in favor of medical savings accounts. You get to put money away — $3000, $4000 a year –you write it off your taxes and you and I, the doctor and patient, makes the decision and you ask the questions,” Paul said. “Doctors, believe me, if they knew somebody was coming in and writing them a check and they didn’t have to go through all this bookkeeping stuff, all of a sudden they would charge less.”

Paul made his comments November 4 during a recorded 20-minute interview organized by AARP. Candidates Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry also taped segments for the series, will be broadcast statewide on Mediacom’s Channel 22 this Sunday night from 6-7:30 p.m. The program also will be available on Mediacom’s “on demand” channel. AARP invited six presidential candidates who have had over five percent support in recent polls to participate in their “Video Voters Guide” project. Mitt Romney and Herman Cain both turned down AARP’s invitation.

AARP provided Radio Iowa a copy of the interviews with Paul, Bachmann, Gingrich and Perry on Friday afternoon.