Chellie Pingree

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com To put the focus on the topics and concerns that matter most to you, the BDN opinion section asked subscribers for their questions for the candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Today, we’re sharing answers from the candidates for the U.S. House for Maine’s 1st Congressional District, Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, and businessman Ron Russell, a Republican. Visit bangordailynews.com/candidates-questions to see the responses in other races. What measures would you vote for to ensure that all Mainers have access to affordable healthcare? Should all Americans have access to the same coverage, at the same cost, as members of Congress? Do you support Medicare-for-all or another form of universal healthcare? If so, how would you pay for it? If not, why not. Chellie Pingree, Democrat I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Every Mainer should have access to affordable, high-quality care, regardless of where they live, where they work, or how much money they make. I support Medicare for All and the ultimate goal of universal healthcare. Until we achieve that, I will continue fighting to protect Medicare and Medicaid, strengthen the Affordable Care Act, preserve rural hospitals and reproductive healthcare, and lower prescription drug costs by expanding negotiation and capping out-of-pocket costs for more drugs. Members of Congress are required by law to purchase health insurance through the ACA and that is how I receive my healthcare. I think it’s important for members to truly understand the costs and complications that everyday Americans are facing with their healthcare, and I hope it motivates more of my colleagues to fight for universal healthcare. A universal system would replace much of what families and employers currently pay in premiums, deductibles, and copays with a fairer system of federal financing. I believe wealthy individuals and large corporations should pay their fair share, while working- and middle-class families should see their overall healthcare costs go down. Ron Russell, Republican Certainly, one of the first steps to reduce the cost of healthcare is to eliminate the fraud, waste, and abuse of our current system. There are multiple examples of billions of dollars in Medicaid fraud that has prevented care being given to those who really need it. I would not vote for Medicare for All or any other single-payer system as a solution to ensure that all Mainers have access to affordable healthcare. The government does not have a successful track record running programs of this magnitude. More importantly, the federal government simply cannot afford healthcare for all. Estimates for the cost of this solution extend into the tens of trillions of dollars , which we simply do not have the taxpayer base to fund. I prefer privatization of hea