Florida: U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District

Candidates

Wayne Hogan, Democrat
John Mica, 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: Wayne Hogan

I’ve stood up for the health of our families by taking on the tobacco companies to protect the health of children and families in Florida, and I would use that experience to fight for lower prescription drug costs. Reforms to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible have been blocked by special interests for too long. I would support a Medicare drug benefit that’s truly affordable and covers all seniors – and does not force seniors to get their drug coverage through HMOs. I also believe that Congress should allow states like Florida to negotiate with the drug companies for lower prices. As one of the most profitable industries in the world, I feel they shouldn’t be making greater profits at the expense of Florida’s seniors.

Candidate Response: John Mica

A voluntary prescription drug benefit should be made available to those who choose to participate. It should contain both a fair co-payment and a deductible without gaps in coverage. To bring down drug and health care costs, we must stop price gouging and greedy lawsuits that drive prices up and deny access to affordable care and medicine. Veterans with doctors or Medicare prescriptions should have access to VA prescription drugs.

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: Wayne Hogan

I’ll fight to protect Social Security and I’m strongly opposed to the privatization of Social Security or the replacing it with individual accounts. Individual accounts are not a guaranteed retirement solution that deliver guaranteed benefits, and are simply not an adequate replacement for the millions of Americans who will rely on Social Security in the years ahead. To erode the foundation of Social Security is to erode the very foundation that many Americans have counted on for retirement. At times like these we need to be securing the future for all Americans, not putting it at risk through privatization or investing it in the stock market.

Candidate Response: John Mica

I support preserving, securing and fully funding benefits under the existing Social Security system. I do not support replacing any part of the current Social Security system with individual accounts. We must also encourage our young workers to save and invest for their future retirement needs.

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: Wayne Hogan

Congress must tackle the fact that millions of Americans remain uninsured. Not only is caring for the uninsured an economic strain, it is wrong that millions of Americans live day to day without basic health coverage. I think we have to do something to help those Americans who remain without adequate health care coverage, including giving good employers as much help as possible to encourage them to offer health care benefits (particularly small businesses). In addition, we need reforms to make prescription drugs more affordable – which will also have the effect of reducing the costs of insurance premiums - and passing a real Patients’ Bill of Rights that puts the control of medical decisions back in the hands of you and your doctor, not the HMO bureaucrats.

Candidate Response: John Mica

My family has gone without health care at times, so I realize how important it is that every American have access to affordable health care. We must bring down costs and develop coverage for the working poor and the uninsured. Lawsuits, unnecessary government mandates and fraud drive prices up for all and must be curbed.