Florida: U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District

Candidates

Corrine Brown, Democrat
Jennifer Carroll, 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: Corrine Brown

I am co-sponsoring a bill that would provide a prescription drug benefit as part of Medicare. The plan would be simple, affordable, and reliable. It covers everyone who uses Medicare and is totally voluntary. I support coverage for prescription drugs for seniors as part of the Medicare program. The cost of NOT paying is too great because it robs America of the productivity of our seniors within their own families, within their community, and in the work force. Drug companies should make a fair profit; they should not be allowed to steal greater profits from senior citizens. Additionally, America’s “readiness strategies” must include the availability of necessary drugs to counteract disease for seniors and for ALL citizens, regardless of the ability to pay.

Candidate Response: Jennifer Carroll

Costs for prescriptions drugs have increased dramatically. I believe that no person should be forced to choose between a meal and their medicine. I believe that we need to make prescription drugs available not just to our older residents but to disabled persons as well. I support giving those who are 65 and older a choice for an affordable prescription drug premium within Medicare. I strongly support continuing to use the Medicare Trust Funds for the purpose in which they were intended, for Medicare. There exists in our current and projected budget surplus sufficient financial resources to cover gaps in coverage and to pay for an affordable prescription drug benefit. I would support using our surplus funds to fund such a benefit.

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: Corrine Brown

I oppose replacing Social Security with individuals accounts. I am glad that we didn’t rush to invest part of Social Security in the Stock Market; it would have been devastating. The ENRON debacle wiped away retirement savings and pensions of thousands of Florida residents and cost our state $336 million. Individual accounts are not a guaranteed retirement solution ensuring guaranteed benefits. For decades, Americans have relied on the Social Security safety net. To erode Social Security is to erode the confidence that Americans place in such a worthwhile program and in their federal government. In spite of individual financial upheavals and volatile world markets, the US must continue its commitment to Social Security funding.

Candidate Response: Jennifer Carroll

As a decorated career military veteran, I strongly believe that a promise made should be a promise kept. Our nation made such a promise to our older residents. As Florida’s former Executive Director of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, I worked to serve and protect our state’s veteran’s, seniors and working military families. I support supplementing Social Security with optional individual accounts for younger workers and those entering the workforce. I support using our nation’s budget surplus to pay down our nation’s debt to protect Social Security and I support raising the cap on Social Security taxes to an income of $125,000. This would raise more money for Social Security and to continue to provide COLA’s to those already receiving benefits.

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: Corrine Brown

I am co-sponsoring a bill that would provide a prescription drug benefit as part of Medicare. The plan would be simple, affordable, and reliable. It covers everyone who uses Medicare and is totally voluntary. I support coverage for prescription drugs for seniors as part of the Medicare program. The cost of NOT paying is too great because it robs America of the productivity of our seniors within their own families, within their community, and in the work force. Drug companies should make a fair profit; they should not be allowed to steal greater profits from senior citizens. Additionally, America’s “readiness strategies” must include the availability of necessary drugs to counteract disease for seniors and for ALL citizens, regardless of the ability to pay.

Candidate Response: Jennifer Carroll

As the Executive Director of Florida’s Department of Veterans Affairs, I fought for many of the initiatives I list below. I support providing tax incentives for the research and development of medicine and medical equipment. I support promoting cost cutting, innovation and efficiency in our medical system. I believe in using the power of the federal government to stimulate price competition in the marketplace. I believe that government has a role to play in protecting consumers and in providing continual oversight with regard to for-profit and not-for-profit entities. I believe that the federal government should use its resources to crack down on fraud and abuse to protect our consumers. I support cost containment measures for the price and volume of health care service.