Texas United States House of Representatives, District 17

Candidates:

Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

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
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican
Using Social Security taxes for private accounts
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

* 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: Chet Edwards, Democrat

I believe Social Security and Medicare have done more for seniors’ independence, health and financial security than any other government initiative. I helped to stop the privatization of Social Security last year because I believe that privatization would cause major cuts in benefits, increase the national debt by several trillion dollars, and turn a guaranteed benefit into a guaranteed risk. Social Security faces long-term challenges, but by working in good faith, Congress and the Administration can forge a bipartisan solution to protect Social Security without privatizing it. The single best step we could take to protect Social Security for future generations is to reduce our $8.4 trillion national debt.

Candidate Response: Van Taylor, Republican

Social Security must be protected. At the same time, we must strengthen Social Security so it can 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. As I go around the district, young people ask the most questions about Social Security because its future is threatened. 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.

Health Care Reform

A shared approach to providing health care coverage
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

* 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: Chet Edwards, Democrat

Access to affordable health insurance coverage is one of the most important problems facing our nation. This problem affects everyone, insured or uninsured. Citizens that do not have preventive health coverage end up going to the emergency room because it is the only care guaranteed by the federal government, and subsequently we all pay. Further, when a large number of people use emergency services at the same time, it hinders everyone’s access to lifesaving care. The only way we can solve the health care crisis that we are experiencing now is by addressing it at all levels: local, state and federal.

Candidate Response: Van Taylor, Republican

The most effective method of keeping the cost of healthcare down is simplifying the healthcare system. A federal, bureaucratic-controlled healthcare system puts the government in charge of personal health decisions. Doctors and patients, not faceless bureaucrats should make medical decisions. 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, there should be no requirement on individuals to purchase health insurance.

Medicare

Medicare negotiating to lower drug prices
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican
An annual limit on federal Medicare spending
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

* 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: Chet Edwards, Democrat

For several years now, I have worked to provide a genuine prescription drug benefit to Medicare, increase the availability of less expensive generic drugs, and to allow seniors to import safe medicines from Canada and Mexico that are offered at half the price charged in the United States. It is wrong for seniors to be gouged by unfairly high drug prices and with the onset of the new prescription drug benefit, many seniors will incur additional costs to participate in these private plans. That is why I introduced H.R. 3672 in December of 2003, which would allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices on behalf of seniors, much like the VA does for veterans.

Candidate Response: Van Taylor, Republican

Congress needs to explore methods to continue the reduction of costs for Medicare beneficiaries, including discounts from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Congress should fully fund Medicare to ensure services for every beneficiary while guarding against waste, fraud and abuse. We should look for additional ways to reduce prescription drug costs for seniors, but this plan is a good start.

Long-Term Care

A combined approach to covering long-term care
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican
Requiring individuals to purchase private long-term care insurance
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

* 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: Chet Edwards, Democrat

Long-term care is regularly overlooked when it comes to addressing Medicare and Medicaid funding. Congress must correct many of the problems that are facing the healthcare system, from reimbursements for long-term care to increases in funding for home health care providers. We must look at ways to encourage home care, provide incentives for community based attendant services, and ensure that long term care patients are able to remain productive participants in society, rather than being shut away in hospitals. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 910, the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Support Act of 2005, which requires that state Medicaid programs provide community based care and attendants for Medicaid eligible long term care beneficiaries.

Candidate Response: Van Taylor, Republican

Long-term care insurance can be an important tool to make retirement costs more affordable. Congress needs to investigate methods to make long-term care insurance more accessible and affordable for Americans preparing for retirement. I am against proposals requiring individuals to purchase long-term care insurance.

Retirement Security

Automatic payroll deduction for IRAs
	Supports	Opposes
AARP
Chet Edwards, Democrat
Van Taylor, Republican

* 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: Chet Edwards, Democrat

Candidate chose not to make additional comments.

Candidate Response: Van Taylor, Republican

Personal Retirement Accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs can afford retirees a great deal of return on their investment and are a crucial aspect of retirement planning. It is incumbent upon Congress to educate Americans on their retirement options and encourage increased participation in personal retirement accounts. A possible consideration may be to include voluntary, automatic payroll deductions.