3rd District candidates agree on much, differ on health care

David Whitaker and Rogers Mayor Steve Womack agreed on several issues raised during a forum held Monday in Fort Smith.

And then the new health care law was mentioned.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act law approved by Congress in late March. A broad view of the controversial federal health care bill is that it will expand access to health insurance, reform the health insurance market to provide additional consumer protections, and improve the health care delivery system to reduce costs and produce better outcomes. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the coverage provisions in the bill will cost $848 billion over 10 years (fiscal years 2010-2019). The major provisions in the bill would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2014, meaning the bill uses 10 years of revenue to pay for six years of coverage. Also, the uninsured with a pre-existing condition can get insurance and will allow retirees maintain coverage.

Arkansans appear less than supportive of the new law. Opposition to the law is cited as a “telling advantage” for U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, in his race to unseat U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., in Arkansas’ U.S. Senate race.

Whitaker, the Democrat in Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District race, does not support repeal of the law approved by Congress in late March. He said it would not be right to tell someone that the pre-existing condition to be covered will again not be covered.

“We can’t go back 100% … to the bad old days of how the health care system worked,” Whitaker told about 40 people at the League of Women Voters forum in Fort Smith.

However, Whitaker did say he opposed the federal mandate requiring individuals to buy health insurance, and added he was “appalled” that Democrats supported “a scheme” to tax insurance benefits as income.

Womack, who followed Whitaker’s response, gave a short but firm answer.

“Repeal and replace. It’s as simple as that,” Womack said, adding later that the bill not only failed at true health care reform but “is a job killer.”

Some elements of the health care law may return in a repeal-and-replace effort that should also include tort reform and more emphasis on health savings accounts, Womack said.

OTHER ISSUES
Prior to the health care discussion, the two candidates were asked their top two priorities if elected. Whitaker said he would focus on job creation and “reining in irresponsible spending.”

Womack followed immediately with: “Jobs. Spending.”

Whitaker said his “gravest concern” is that if Congress continues with “quick-fix, feel-good measures” instead of long-term solutions, then this could be a “jobless decade.”

Womack agreed, to an extent, adding that the policies of Democrats in Washington — health care reform, cap and trade, card check — is scaring away trillions of private sector dollars.

“It’s got the job creators upside down,” Womack said.

That question was followed by several with similar responses from Whitaker and Womack.

ENERGY
• Womack: America needs to wean itself from foreign sources of energy by producing more domestic oil and natural gas while at the same time pursuing alternative energy — including nuclear energy.

• Whitaker: The U.S. needs to completely get away from fossil fuels and pursue more advanced alternative fuels, like algae (biomass), wind and solar. While it has many good elements, he opposes the cap and trade bill because it’s carbon marketing plan is a potential job killer.

“If it kills jobs in Arkansas, I cannot and will not support it,” Whitaker said.

SOCIAL SECURITY
• Whitaker: The system is not broken and it should not be privatized at any level.

“It’s a great system. We need to keep it,” Whitaker explained.

• Womack: The system is not sustainable, and the next generation of workers should have voluntary options to invest a portion of their retirement funds in alternative programs. However, Womack said he does not support cutting promised, existing benefits to those retired or approaching retirement.

IMMIGRATION
• Womack: “Job one” is securing the U.S.-Mexico border, Womack said. With that accomplished, then Congress can responsibly address what to do with the up to 20 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.

• Whitaker: The borders should be secured, with Whitaker adding that the U.S.-Canadian border also needs more security to protect from terrorist infiltration. He also said the legal immigration system is broken and is being demagogued “by those on the right and the left.”

NATIONAL DEFENSE
• Womack: Iran, with its nuclear capability, is a “clear threat” to Middle East peace and a “national security concern” for the U.S. He said the U.S. must do more to protect Israel. Womack, a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army, said the U.S. must curtail its reliance on Guard and Reserve units, saying they “deploy far too many times.”

• Whitaker: Congress must stop spending on exotic weapons and programs that the military chiefs don’t want.

“We can’t afford to misspend our money on national security,” Whitaker said.

EDUCATION
Both candidates agreed that the federal government should have less control and state and local education officials should have more say in public education. Whitaker said the feds should encourage states to “pursue best practices” and worry less about the process and more about the results. Womack agreed, saying a “very limited” federal role would allow state and local officials to spend more time on student achievement than following unnecessary federal rules.

TERM LIMITS
• Whitaker: He would support “reasonable term limits,” and suggested that federal term limits include lengthening U.S. House terms beyond two years.

“Nobody, nobody should sit in Congress for 40 years,” Whitaker said.

• Womack: He would support term limits as long as they are not too restrictive. Womack said term limits for Arkansas Legislators are too restrictive, and have resulted in a power shift to state agency bureaucrats and lobbyists. Restrictive federal term limits would have the same negative outcome in Washington, Womack predicted.