Minnesota United States House of Representatives, District 6

Candidates:

Michele Bachmann, Republican - www.michelebachmann.com
Patty Wetterling, Democrat - www.pattywetterling.com

Questions - SOCIAL SECURITY HEALTH CARE REFORM MEDICARE LONG-TERM CARE RETIREMENT SECURITY

Social Security

A balanced Social Security plan for guaranteed benefits
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat
Using Social Security taxes for private accounts
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat

* If there is no check mark, the candidate was either undecided or chose not to check a box.

Question
Will you support or oppose a balanced Social Security plan to continue the program's guaranteed benefits for future generations? Will you support or oppose using Social Security taxes to fund private accounts?

AARP Response
For 70 years, America's families have relied on the values embodied in Social Security. The program's guaranteed, risk-free benefit protects people from outliving their savings or the loss of a spouse or parent. We all benefit from the shared responsibility of providing for today's beneficiaries, with the knowledge that that same responsibility will be met by future generations for us.

AARP believes that a bipartisan plan that balances additional contributions from higher income workers with modest adjustments in future benefits can maintain guaranteed Social Security benefits for future generations. Private accounts that drain money out of the Social Security Trust Fund would make it harder to strengthen the program and create a mountain of new federal debt for our children and grandchildren.

Candidate Response: Michele Bachmann, Republican

Social Security must be protected. At the same time, I believe Social Security must be strengthened so that it remains able to pay retirement benefits for years to come. Although no current or near retiree is facing benefit cuts, the benefits of future generations are at risk because the number of retirees continues to grow relative to the number of available workers who pay into the system. So I believe we should look at ways to improve overall retirement security – and we should examine all the proposals that will be put forth. Whatever reforms we adopt, we must find a way to strengthen and protect Social Security without raising payroll taxes, without reducing benefits, without raising the retirement age and without privatizing the system.

Candidate Response: Patty Wetterling, Democrat

I have pledged to strengthen and protect the Social Security system and to keep America's promise to our seniors. I will support legislation that restores solvency, oppose efforts to privatize this program and oppose budget proposals that spend the Social Security Trust Fund dollars on other programs.

Health Care Reform

A shared approach to providing health care coverage
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat

* If there is no check mark, the candidate was either undecided or chose not to check a box.

Question
Will you support or oppose a shared approach involving government, employers and individuals, to providing health care coverage for everyone?

AARP Response
In the absence of universal coverage, AARP supports specific reforms that increase the number of people with health care coverage, either through public or private insurance.

More and more Americans, including a growing number of workers, find themselves without health insurance. Increasing health care costs strain businesses large and small, leading them to either stop offering health care coverage all together or raise employee premiums and co-pays. Shifting an ever-larger share of health care costs to individuals does not address the problem of the high cost of health care and threatens the health and financial security of American families.

AARP believes that government, employers and individuals should share the responsibility for paying for health care coverage.

Candidate Response: Michele Bachmann, Republican

The surest way to keep the cost of healthcare down is to simplify the healthcare system. A federal, bureaucratic-controlled healthcare system puts the government in charge of personal health decisions. Medical decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not faceless bureaucrats. Too often, the poorest of the working class are too “wealthy” to qualify for public insurance and too “poor” to afford subsidized employer insurance. I believe the federal government should expand the availability of health credits, which allow eligible individuals and families to receive tax credits to cover the vast majority of the cost of health insurance. However, individuals should not be required to purchase health insurance.

Candidate Response: Patty Wetterling, Democrat

It is my goal to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care and I agree that this will require a shared approach. We need a commitment from the government, private sector, providers and consumers to come together and make this goal a reality. We’ve been working around the edges of this issue for too long. We know this is a priority for families – it’s time for it to become a priority in Congress.

Medicare

Medicare negotiating to lower drug prices
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat
An annual limit on federal Medicare spending
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat

* If there is no check mark, the candidate was either undecided or chose not to check a box.

Question
Will you support or oppose allowing Medicare to use its bargaining power to negotiate lower prices for needed prescription drugs? Will you support or oppose imposing an annual limit on federal Medicare spending?

AARP Response
Medicare Part D is now helping millions of people in Medicare save money on their prescription drugs. But while those with Part D coverage are saving, the actual cost of prescription drugs continues to increase at a rate greater than general inflation. AARP believes that more must be done to bring down soaring drug costs and supports allowing Medicare to use its bargaining power to negotiate lower prescription drugs.

Proposals have been made in Congress to put an annual limit on how much money the federal government spends on the Medicare program. AARP opposes arbitrary limits on Medicare funding.

Candidate Response: Michele Bachmann, Republican

I support reformulating the Medicare reimbursement formula. Minnesota health providers have been on the short end of the stick with Medicare reimbursements compared with other states. I support revisiting the Medicare reimbursement so Minnesota providers are not continually reimbursed at a disadvantage.

Candidate Response: Patty Wetterling, Democrat

I oppose cuts to Medicare (and Medicaid), and believe strongly that the government must be able to negotiate for lower drug prices, as we do in the VA. In addition, I support allowing re-importation of prescription drugs.

Medicare must be strengthened and remain available for all eligible seniors and persons with disabilities. I will oppose an annual cap and work hard to address the real issue -- the rising cost of health care – while ensuring that Medicare remains a strong program for current and future generations.

Long-Term Care

A combined approach to covering long-term care
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat
Requiring individuals to purchase private long-term care insurance
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat

* If there is no check mark, the candidate was either undecided or chose not to check a box.

Question
Will you support or oppose a combined approach that involves government and individuals covering long-term care? Will you support or oppose requiring individuals to buy private long-term care insurance?

AARP Response
Long-term care can be costly for people who do not have family caregivers or need more care than family and friends can provide. Qualifying for Medicaid-the primary public funding source for long-term care-requires either very low assets and income, or depleting almost all assets and income to pay for care. Currently private insurance is either too expensive or unavailable for many people. Approaches that give people cash payments to choose, buy and manage their care, along with counseling to help them make and manage care choices, help maintain dignity and maximize independence.

AARP supports a publicly funded, long-term care cash benefit program-paid for through a combination of government and individual contributions-to give people more control over their own care. AARP opposes requiring individuals to buy private long-term care insurance.

Candidate Response: Michele Bachmann, Republican

Long-term care insurance can be an important tool to make retirement costs more affordable. Congress should explore ways to make long-term care insurance more accessible to and affordable for Americans planning for their retirement. I oppose proposals to require individuals to purchase long-term care insurance.

Candidate Response: Patty Wetterling, Democrat

Candidate chose not to make additional comments.

Retirement Security

Automatic payroll deduction for IRAs
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Michele Bachmann, Republican
Patty Wetterling, Democrat

* If there is no check mark, the candidate was either undecided or chose not to check a box.

Question
Do you support or oppose requiring employers to give workers access to automatic payroll deductions to fund their personal IRAs?

AARP Response
Social Security was never intended to be a worker's only source of retirement income. Even though people know Social Security will not be enough to live on, many find it difficult to save for the future. AARP supports creating and expanding supplemental retirement accounts that enable workers to accumulate retirement savings in addition to Social Security's guaranteed benefits.

AARP supports making saving for retirement simpler and fairer by requiring that employers give workers access to voluntary, automatic payroll deductions to their own IRAs if their employers do not already give them access to a pension or 401(k) plan.

Candidate Response: Michele Bachmann, Republican

Personal Retirement Accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are a vital part of retirement planning. Congress should take steps to educate Americans on their retirement options and encourage increased participation in these personal retirement accounts. One possible option may include voluntary, automatic payroll deductions.

Candidate Response: Patty Wetterling, Democrat

Candidate chose not to make additional comments.