You can expect to hear a lot about healthcare from political candidates during the 2018 campaign. If Pennsylvania is any indication, candidates from both parties will almost all be talking about the healthcare issue.
I surveyed the 17 Republican and 18 Democrat candidates for U.S. House as well as both candidates for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania using Ballotpedia.com and Google.
All of the 18 Democratic House candidates, as well as the candidate for U.S. Senate, list healthcare on their platforms. All of the Democrats favor “healthcare access for all citizens.”
Ten of the 17 Republican House candidates have healthcare planks. And 3 of the remaining 7 have opioid crisis planks. Four of these Republicans explicitly embrace “healthcare access for all citizens,” as well.
But will these candidates talk about the healthcare issue only in generalities, or will they engage voters to discuss the Real Problem – runaway costs that are built into the system?
At least some are doing so. Here is an excerpted sample issue statement from Gary Wegman DMD, who was edged out only narrowly in the Democratic primary in May in my Pennsylvania 9th Congressional District:
The reason our present healthcare system is not being reformed is not due to a lack of need, but rather due to an unwillingness to take on the special interests that are profiting from the current system. . .
The cost of Health Insurance continues to escalate year after year without check upon the rates that are being asked of the individuals and businesses that purchase medical insurance products. In my opinion, to allow a third party medical insurance industry to profit on the misfortunes of the medically compromised individuals of our society is unethical and should be outlawed. . .
And some Republican candidates are talking about runaway healthcare spending, such as Greg McCauley (6th District) and Mike Thompson (15th District).
And will the candidates tackle the key question about defining the mission of healthcare in America in the 21st century? For more detail, see my previous post.
Take Action
Please read the blog post on these key questions about the mission of healthcare. What are your answers to them? Press the candidates for their answers, too. Now, Take Action.
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