Centre Daily Times - "Candidates Tackle Health Care"
News Article
Centre Daily Times - "Candidates Tackle Health Care"
The Centre Daily Times asked each of the nine Republican and three Democratic candidates for the 5th Congressional District nominations to respond to an identical set of eight questions. Below are their responses to the fourth question.
The cost of and access to health care present high hurdles to many Americans. What health care issues are especially important to the 5th Congressional District, and how would you address these issues in Congress?
REPUBLICANS
Chris Exarchos, 63, of Lemont, Centre County; former county commissioner.
"Cost and access are two of the most important health care issues in our rural district. Investing in preventative
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health care along with tort reform to reduce defensive medicine' will help keep health care costs down. By providing clinics in our rural communities with ties to major medical centers, we can increase the standard of care at the local level. Local clinics, staffed by skilled health care professionals, can provide early intervention in illness while still being able to get patients to more intensive treatment centers when needed. In addition, we need to invest in training for more health care professionals. We face a critical shortage of health care professionals all across the nation, and we must encourage and assist more people to train for this important field of employment."
John Krupa, 56, of Avis, Clinton County; insurance agent and former Pine Creek Township supervisor.
"In the 5th Congressional District, rural Pennsylvania, there are few things that hold the same level of importance to
our way of life than having access to affordable, high-quality health care in our communities. Local hospitals and caregivers enable women to have babies delivered in their own community, provide aging citizens with a local support structure, provide those with life-altering conditions the needed services to face their everyday challenges and prevent trauma patients from having to travel long distances to receive emergency treatment. Frequently, local hospitals are often the largest employer and a strong economic component in our rural communities. Local high-quality health care networks are a critical component to attracting and retaining employers who depend on health care for their employees and families. The costs of excessive regulations, taxation and the potential legal consequences associated with every decision a health provider ponders have led to rapidly escalating costs and the loss of physicians in rural Pennsylvania. While some of these problems must be solved at the state level, addressing and correcting the federal level issues will be an immediate and ongoing priority as the 5th District congressman."
Lou Radkowski, 64, of St. Marys; Elk County coroner.
"Regarding the issue of health care, I will work tirelessly to lower taxes, thereby enabling individuals and families to
afford better health care coverage. I am also strongly committed to the president's plan to give a tax deduction for health care costs, similar to the tax deduction for dependent children. I believe you should decide which health care plan best suits your personal and family needs. When it comes to your health, you and your doctor are the experts, not the government! I will work closely with my constituents, health care providers and state lawmakers to identify and fill gaps in Pennsylvania's system so that quality health care is accessible and affordable for everyone."
Keith Richardson, 46, of Clarion; pastor of the First Baptist Church of Clarion.
"We have to look to the root causes for increases in medical costs, such as lawsuit abuse and excessive governmental intervention. I'd seek reforms that curb lawsuit abuse, such as capping punitive damages in most cases, or making plaintiffs in frivolous suits responsible for costs. I'd oppose any attempts to nationalize health care insurance. Free-market, private- sector forces are key to efficient and competitive health care and insurance systems. More government involvement means higher costs, greater waste, lower efficiency and reduced quality of health care. Just ask anyone from Canada who gladly pays extra to get health care in the U.S."
Matt Shaner, 28, of Patton Township, Centre County; real estate developer.
"Having access to affordable health care is one of the biggest issues facing America today, as one in five
Americans do not have health insurance. The skyrocketing cost of health care is also forcing many small businesses to stop offering health insurance to their employees. To bring down the cost of health care, thereby making it more affordable and accessible to Americans, I would advocate:
Reining in out-of-control lawsuits by supporting medical malpractice caps on punitive damages.
Allowing small businesses to pool together their employees so that they can get a lower premium from insurance companies for their employees.
Congressman Peterson has been a leader in Congress on the issue of rural health care. I will continue Congressman Peterson's tradition as an advocate of rural health care and making sure rural hospitals and clinics have the funds necessary to operate so that every person in the 5th Congressional District has access to health care.
Jeff Stroehmann, 42, of Linden, Lycoming County; former Woodward Township supervisor.
"Affordable health care is one of the most important issues facing our nation and rural Pennsylvania today.
As your next congressman I will be a vocal advocate for our rural hospitals and health care facilities. I will use my position in Congress to attempt to secure funding to make rural hospitals and health care facilities more modern. As a nation we need to implement effective legal reform that penalizes individuals that file frivolous lawsuits against health care professionals. I would support legislation that allows employers to pool their purchasing power with other companies to purchase health care insurance for their employees. This would lower premiums, making health care more affordable while not embracing a socialized health care system supported by many Democrats. I would also support tax incentives for companies that provide health care coverage for their employees."
John Stroup, 50, mayor of Clarion and executive director of the Clarion Hospital Foundation.
"As a hospital executive, I know the health care challenges of the 5th District better than any other candidate. The systematic failure in the hospital reimbursement system threatens the keystone of our rural health care system, making it harder and harder on rural hospitals. We have to find a way to make it advantageous for small hospitals to work together in building relationships. Rural areas can have high quality affordable health care, but it must be done in a way that supports our local hospitals. In addition to addressing this issue, I will push for market-based solutions, such as Health Savings Accounts and Association Health Plans. Giving patients more choice over their health care spending and allowing small business to band together to lower health care costs will represent realistic solutions for the region's rural health care challenges."
Glenn Thompson, 48, of Howard Township, Centre County, heath care professional and county Republican Party chairman.
"As a 26- year health care professional, I have fought to keep health care affordable, accessible and cost-effective. Action is needed to contain the cost and preserve access to health care through medical liability reforms. Less costly methods are needed to resolve liability conflicts. The 24 hospitals in the district must remain fiscally healthy to assure citizens are physically healthy. I support extending Medicare rural health initiatives. We must recruit qualified allied health and nursing care personnel by providing incentives for preparation. The health care of the retiring baby boomer generation requires experienced leadership to assure that Medicare does not collapse. Medicare utilization will increase, and we cannot balance the budget by payment cuts resulting in limited or inferior health care. I support more emphasis on preventive health care to reduce chronic disease costs. Also, we must work to reduce the provider and Medicare agency costs now required to implement the Medicare system."
Derek Walker, 32, of Bigler, Clearfield County, financial consultant.
"From a health care perspective, virtually every county in the 5th Congressional District is considered underserved.
As your next congressman, I am committed to making health care more accessible and affordable. This can be done by focusing on recruiting and retaining good doctors in rural communities. To do this, we must first pass tort reform and put limits on awards from medical malpractice cases. Too many good doctors are being forced out of practice, and our rural communities are losing their hospitals. I would also address the issue by sponsoring a program to allow tuition and loan forgiveness to doctors who are willing to locate in underserved areas. I would also propose a program which creates a path of citizenship for foreign- born doctors who agree to practice in an underserved area. I also support giving individuals more health insurance options and making individual health insurance plans tax deductible."
DEMOCARATS
Bill Cahir, 39, of Bellefonte, Centre County, former Washington correspondent for Pennsylvania newspapers.
"Congress should pass a law requiring insurance companies to sell health care coverage to all who apply, regardless of preexisting condition. Lawmakers also must provide federal funds to states to help cover the uninsured, the self-employed and people in small businesses. Universal coverage should be the goal. Additionally, veterans should know that their health care will be automatically funded and that they will be afforded the opportunity to visit local hospitals and clinics without any lapse in coverage and treatment."
Mark B. McCracken, 44, of Clearfield; Clearfield County commissioner.
"I support a comprehensive approach to solving the health care crisis on several fronts. First, we must provide health
insurance coverage for everyone through a combination of public and private insurance options. I propose that the federal government create a public health insurance pool fund to provide reasonably priced insurance for individuals and businesses. Premiums would be set at an affordable level below the cost of private insurance. The public health insurance pool would be an available option, not a mandated one. Second, there must be reforms passed to limit malpractice claims. We must free up our doctors and medical facilities so they can treat people without the constant threat of multimillion dollar lawsuits. Third, we need to provide public funding through grants and low-interest loans so all medical facilities, especially those in rural areas, can have the latest in medical equipment and technologies for their patients."
Rick Vilello, 42, of Lock Haven, Clinton County; Lock Haven mayor.
"The problem is not just the cost of health care and prescription drugs but how quickly costs are increasing relative to inflation. These high costs not only affect the individuals and families in the 5th District, but are a significant burden on the small businesses which are so important to rural communities. We need to create public-private partnerships and develop models like those in Massachusetts and California that will cover all Americans. We need to end the stalemate in Washington now and adequately fund health insurance coverage for all children. We need to make prescriptions affordable for all Americans. It is unacceptable that we as a nation pay some of the highest costs and have some of the poorest results. Even the French health care system is rated higher than that of the United States. We can do better."
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