John McCain is making it clear — he’s against mandatory health insurance.

He’s said it before, but the Senator emphasized his position Wednesday at a health care forum organized by a hospital trade association in DC.

MCCAIN: “I don’t think that there should be a mandate for every American to have health insurance. I think that one of our goals should be that every American own their own home, but I’m not going to mandate that every American own their own home. I think that every American should have, be available to, an affordable college education. But I’m not going to mandate that every American go to college. I feel the same way about health care. If it’s affordable and available, then it seems to me that again, it’s a matter of choice amongst Americans.”

One highlight of McCain’s health policy is a tax credit of $2500 per individual or $5000 per family to pay for health insurance.

Policy aides clarified details of that proposal Wednesday. They say workers would have to pay taxes on the dollar amount of coverage provided by an employer. But they say the new insurance credit would more than offset the extra taxes for all but the wealthiest Americans. The tax deduction to employers providing insurance would stay in place.