Florida: U.S. House of Representatives, 18th District

Candidates

Ray Chote, Democrat
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 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: Ray Chote

I am retired from the US Navy and we have the benefits of Prescription Drugs delivered through Tri-Care for Life. A similar program should be implemented for all Medicare Recipients. It will not be as costly as some would lead us to believe. Also, it has the great benefit of reducing the overall cost of medical care when prompt needed medication is required for proper treatment that relies on medicine as much as medical intervention. We see the result of “Emergency Room medicine” being practiced for many people who simply have no other options. “IT IS VERY Expensive!”

Candidate Response: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

I recently voted in favor of HR 4954, the Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act, which passed by 221-208 in the House of Representatives. I supported this legislation, which combined two plans, the Medicare+Choice plan and the prescription drug plan. When working together, these two plans will provide all seniors convenient and affordable access to medication through a voluntary program for prescription drug coverage, which gives seniors at least two choices of prescription drug plans. Seniors will experience immediate relief from high drug costs. This “Best Buy” provision of this bill will also lower pharmaceutical manufacturer drug prices by $18 million. HR 4954 calls for reforming payment and regulatory structure under Medicare and will keep it updated through rapidly changing times.

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: Ray Chote

I oppose replacing part of Social Security with Individual accounts. The recent radical movement of stock prices is clear evidence of the “gambling” aspect of individual accounts. The changes in cost of living allowances, COLAs, sets a secure safe way of managing this national need for a secured life income.

Candidate Response: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Workers should be given the choice to set aside up to 25% of their Social Security contributions for investment in bonds, mutual funds, or individual stocks. This should be done through a program such as the Federal Thrift Savings Plan, by which workers would have an opportunity to invest this 25% into several different investment funds with different risk categories, such as: Government Securities, Fixed Income Indexes, Common Stock Indexes, Small Capitalization Stock Indices, and International Stock Indices. The profitability of these funds can be historically proven, with the average ten year compounded interest of the five funds ranging between 6.5% to 12.9%. I believe that Americans should have these options available, regardless of whether or not they choose to invest their Social Security earnings.

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: Ray Chote

Every other non-third World Nation have models that are working for them. “Emergency Room Medical Care” is simply too inefficient and costly to the individual communities to continue to be tolerated much longer. We must advance to Universal Health Care, codified in National Law. We are paying for it now in excessive dollar costs for Mandated Emergency Room medical care for the indigent and in the human costs of shorten lives and broken homes that put extra burdens on community, County and State costs.

Candidate Response: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

The U.S. health care system is unquestionably at a crossroads. Although the US Congress has made some steps in making access to care more equitable in the last 25 years, our nation’s health care system continues to exclude millions of Americans. I favor legislation that empowers patients with their choice of health professionals, access to emergency room care, and access to specialists, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists. I am committed to reducing the rocketing number of uninsured and the great disparities in healthcare that presently exist. To this end, I have recently co-introduced legislation entitles HR 5187, the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act, supporting strong patient protection and breaking down those barriers that prevent the accessibility of good and affordable healthcare for all.