Jeffress: Obamacare “Positive Change,” Health Care “Basic Human Right”

Republican Tom Cotton and Democratic State Sen. Gene Jeffress squared off in a short debate on KARK today where their differences stood out particularly on the issue of health care reform.

Jeffress said during the debate that he feels Obamacare is “a positive change that has occurred in our nation,” but declined to say which parts of the health care reform law he supports and which parts he opposed.

When pressed by reporters later, Jeffress again struggled for an answer.

“I like it. I just like it. People have an opportunity that have never been able to afford health care before,” said Jeffress who went into a story about his parents dying at an early age due to lack of adequate health care.

When pressed again, he said, “Having children stay on for a longer age while they are still in college I think is a great plus” before adding that “there are probably several things like that.”

“I am open. Gene Jeffress does not… I will stand and tell you that I don’t have all the answers, but I am willing to listen to work for the people of the Fourth District. They have got concerns. Gene Jeffress is your person. Now, if you want to elect somebody that already has all the answers, don’t elect Gene Jeffress because I do not,” said Jeffress.

“I want people to have health care in Arkansas. That is a basic human right,” said Jeffress when asked if he agrees with the majority of the federal health care reform law.

By contrast, Cotton has said consistently that he will work to repeal and replace Obamacare.

“Obamacare must be repealed because it raids $700 billion from Medicare, raises taxes by hundreds of billions, adds countless job-killing regulations, intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship, provides taxpayer funding of abortion, and infringes on religious liberties. Once it’s repealed, I’ll work for patient-focused, market-centered reforms to our health-care system,” said Cotton.