Vanessa Kerry, daughter of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, attacked President Bush’s record on health care and addressed recent attacks on her father’s past military record at a speech in Ames on Tuesday.

Kerry, a former medical school student, spoke to a crowd of mostly senior citizens about what she called a lack of support from the Bush administration concerning health care.

“We are in a health care crisis,” she said. “The cost of health care is sky-rocketing. Twenty-five percent of health care costs is administrative costs; we need to find a way to make health care costs more affordable.”

Kerry’s comments came after a national survey was released last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust stating health care costs for employers have risen for the fourth consecutive year.

“Health care should never be a privilege; it should be a right,” Kerry said in a press release. “In a state where almost 76,000 people have lost their health care since George Bush took office, we need to continue the conversation my dad started over a year ago about this issue as well as direction of this country.”

According to the Kerry-Edwards plan, health care costs would be reduced by more than $1,000, and would extend current government plans to 95 percent of the population.

While the plan would offer government-backed health care, Kerry said it wouldn’t mirror socialist systems found in other countries since it would still offer choice.

“We’re using the best of market competition, and having a government-regulated gold standard,” she said.

“Americans still get a choice, that’s important. We like choice.”

Meanwhile, debates still linger over both her father’s and the president’s military service during the Vietnam war.

Kerry said it was disgusting to see so much coverage of what she called blatant lies about her father’s service. She said the attacks have dishonored Americans currently serving in the military as well.

“We’re supposed to be supporting our troops,” she said. “By challenging someone’s service after 30 years the way they did my father’s, you are telling everyone who is in Iraq or Afghanistan or where ever right now that their service too can be challenged 20 or 30 years from now.”

Curt Bauer, an Ames resident and a veteran of World War II, said he agreed with what Kerry said.

Bauer said he had little respect for the president.

“Bush will say anything to try and get the votes,” he said.

“So much of what he’s done is bullshit.”