The two candidates for the second Congressional District have spent much of this campaign debating the war in Iraq.
But recently, health care has come to the forefront in the race between incumbent Republican Representative Charlie Bass and Democratic challenger Paul Hodes.
And as New Hampshire Public Radio's Amy Quinton reports, when it comes to health care like so many other issues, the two candidates are on opposite sides of the fence.
While voters’ primary concern this election season is the war in Iraq, health care is also on that list.
A poll this month from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nationally, nearly half of voters say they are very worried about having to pay more for health care or insurance.
During WMUR’s debate between Congressional District two candidates, Democrat Paul Hodes said the current system is broken.
“Our health care system is in crisis, we’ve got soaring costs, 46.6 million people uninsured, more and more employers are shifting the burden onto their employees, and we’ve got an epidemic in many places of the country in substandard care.â€
Both candidates agree that rising health care costs are a huge concern.
But when it comes to fixing the system, the agreement ends.
Hodes says he’d like to see a universal health care system.
He says there are lots of good proposals, but thinks one in particular stands out.
“Hodeshealth I think what we should start with is making available to all Americans the health care system that Charlie Bass and members of Congress now enjoyâ€
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program offers a network of more than 400 health plan options, and covers federal workers, retirees and their dependents.
Hodes says he also wants to give tax credits to people on a sliding scale to make buying into the federal system affordable.
He touted his idea to seniors during a forum this week.
1439 2:14 that would instantly create competition as I see it in the marketplace because all those private insurers would now be competing with the bulk power of a huge number of people in the federal system, it would take heat off employers.
But Republican incumbent Charlie Bass blasted that plan as one that would only raise taxes, among other problems.
Basshealth1 “It’s going to be socialized medicine, a one-point-five trillion health plan that puts a federal bureaucrat –make no mistake about it - between you and your doctor, we will have a completely different health care system in this country, its going to be one that excels in mediocrity.â€
Proponents, however, point to similar programs in Germany and Japan where patients are free to choose their own doctor, costs are lower, and waits for doctors are no longer than waits in the US.
Bass says he would change the system instead by allowing small businesses to come together and offer association health plans.
That, he argues, would give them the same bargaining power that large companies have when purchasing health care plans.
But as he noted in Wednesday’s debate, that’s just a start.
(have full deductibility of premiums, legalize reimportation of drugs, robustly fund community health care centers, implement health IT, and expand health savings accounts, these are proposals that make our current health care system work a lot better.)
The two candidates also differ in their opinions over the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.
Hodes says the program has major shortcomings that need reform.
He wants to make it easier for seniors, and give the Medicare agency the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices.
“And we need to use those savings to close the doughnut hole, which is hurting our seniors, who have to pay after the first 22-50 is paid, almost 3,000 dollars out of pocket every year.â€
Bass acknowledged the program is confusing, which is why he says he voted to extend the deadline for seniors signing up.
But he says 92-percent of seniors never see the doughnut hole.
He says seniors are getting an average savings of 11-hundred a year.
On NHPR’s The Exchange, Bass touted the program.
77-percent more seniors in NH are getting prescription drugs, and the cost of the program is substantially lower than all the budget forecasters anticipated it would be.
While the candidates differ on how to fix the current health care system, they’re just as divided as Americans.
Another Kaiser poll this year showed a majority of Americans support universal health care to our current system.
But when they were presented with potential downsides, less than a third support the idea.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.
