Florida: U.S. House of Representatives, 15th District

Candidates

Jim Tso, Democrat
Dave Weldon, Republican

Issues: Prescription Drugs | Social Security | Health Care |

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Question

Many people with Medicare lack adequate coverage for prescription drugs and face skyrocketing costs. What solution do you support to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for their drugs?

AARP Response

AARP believes an acceptable Medicare drug benefit needs to meet the following tests:

First, the benefit must offer real value at an affordable price. The monthly premium should be less than $35. The beneficiary’s deductible and co-payments should be reasonable and affordable, (e.g. a deductible no greater than $250). There should be no gaps in coverage, leaving persons to pay 100% of high out-of-pocket costs.

Second, the benefit should be available to all Medicare beneficiaries on a voluntary basis. No one should be forced into the program. But no one should also be denied access to a Medicare drug benefit because of where they live, how sick they might be, or how much or how little income they have.

Third, the plan must help bring down soaring drug costs.

Fourth, the plan must include additional help for low-income persons.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Creates an affordable monthly premium
Supports a fair deductible and co-payment
Provides no gaps in coverage

Candidate Response: Jim Tso

I fully support of adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare for our senior citizens. Seniors with prescription drug needs are like people “up the creek without a paddle”. The Republican plan of subsidizing insurance companies to provide drug benefits is full of holes and resembles a “tennis racket”. The Democrat’s plan of using Medicare to provide drug benefits with cost controls is like a “motor”. I support the Democratic plan, which provides real benefits at a reasonable cost.

· Premiums of less than $35 per month

· Co-payments less than 15%

· A low deductible

· No limits to coverage

More details on my prescription plan are available on my website, www.jimtso.com

Candidate Response: Dave Weldon

I supported the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2002 in the U.S. House, which provides $350 billion over 10 years to lower the cost of prescription drugs, guarantee that all seniors who want coverage can have it, and improve Medicare. The important features of that plan are that low-income seniors will be eligible for 100% coverage, it provides for catastrophic coverage, the plan is voluntary, and it enables strength through group buying power. This is not an issue that should be politicized, and as a physician I believe this plan is a good approach.

Question

Do you support or oppose replacing part of Social Security with individual accounts?

AARP Response

AARP strongly opposes replacing ANY part of Social Security with individual accounts. Social Security is not in crisis. Without any changes in current law, Social Security can pay 100% of benefits until 2041. But individual accounts funded with Social Security dollars mean Social Security would face financial problems sooner.

"Personal control" sounds appealing. But substituting private accounts, even for part of Social Security, drains money from Social Security, which means less money to pay guaranteed benefits.

Creating these private accounts requires trading today’s inflation-protected lifetime guaranteed benefit for an account subject to market risk and not guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Inflation, market turns, or sudden loss of employment can also mean that your private account may not have enough money to provide an adequate benefit. AARP supports options that help Americans save for their retirement through individual accounts on top of Social Security; but opposes replacing any part of Social Security’s guaranteed benefit.

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Creates individual accounts out of Social Security
Position means less money for guaranteed benefits
Position guarantees benefits for your lifetime

Candidate Response: Jim Tso

I emphatically oppose replacing part of Social Security with individual accounts. The last two years of stock market volatility have shown us how vulnerable retirement savings can be. Social Security is a guaranteed safety net for all Americans not just senior citizens. It should not be jeopardized in any way.

A Republican controlled Congress will continue to push for privatizing Social Security, despite their claims to the contrary. In order to eliminate their continuing offensive I propose a new financial security plan that can augment Social Security. My TSO Plan (Total Security Option) combines the best features of Pensions, 401k’s, IRA’s, and benefits every American. Any American with a TSO will build an additional tax-free financial security blanket. Please check the details in www. jimtso.com.

Candidate Response: Dave Weldon

I am opposed to privatization of the system, but we must make long-term reforms of the Social Security system to ensure it will be there for future generations. However, I will not support any reforms that impact the benefits of today’s seniors. The key is creating a Trust Fund that contains real assets, not IOUs as we have today. Any plan should be voluntary, allowing current recipients to stay with the existing program, while providing new options for the generations behind them.

Question

In the face of escalating costs, how would you reform the health care system to make it available, affordable and accessible for every American?

AARP Response

AARP supports measures to achieve access to affordable health care coverage for all individuals, an approach that would address the needs of those without public or private insurance or those at risk of losing coverage.

In the absence of universal coverage, AARP supports incremental reforms specifically targeted to particular populations that significantly improve coverage options for those without public or private insurance or those at risk for losing coverage.

These reforms include:

• Opening existing public programs (e.g. Medicaid) to new categories of people who are uninsured;
  
  
• Inducing employers to offer coverage;
  
  
• Subsidizing the cost of private coverage for those who are uninsured, underinsured, or at risk of losing coverage;
  
  
• Expanding the continuation of group health care coverage at group rates to persons whose access is ending (e.g. expanding COBRA coverage).
  
  

Issue	Yes	No	Unclear
Supports health care for all Americans
Proposes steps to cover more people

Candidate Response: Jim Tso

Our health care system is a chaotic mess. Children, seniors and those without health insurance are most vulnerable. Previous attempts to fix problems were often special interest promoted “fingers in the dike” ideas, which don’t fully address the ever-growing crisis.

I propose that the House and Senate form a Joint Select committee on Health Care with the goal of finding complete strategic solutions to our nation’s health care needs.

Twenty –two years ago I served as a strategic planning advisor to Congressman Claude Pepper, who Chairing his Select Committee on Aging, took a strategic solutions approach to achieve great gains for seniors. We can achieve similar results with a Joint Select Committee on Health Care.

www.jimtso.com also contains my health related solutions concerning veterans.

Candidate Response: Dave Weldon

The free market should continue to guide health care delivery in our country. It should be balanced with efforts to maintain basic patients rights when dealing with HMOs, and I have voted for strong HMO reform legislation in the House. I strongly oppose any attempt to create a federal health care system or national “one size fits all” approach, believing that consumer choice in the medical market will be the best incentive for quality health care. I support efforts to provide individuals with the same tax benefits that corporations have when purchasing health insurance and efforts to reduce the number of law suits that drive up health care costs for all Americans.