Health care and Election 2008

Next month,Alaskans will cast their votes in this historic election. Along with the economy andIraq, health care remains a primary concern. Where does your candidate stand on health care?

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Candidates for Congress – U.S. Senate

Mark Begich

Alaska is blessed with resource wealth and unsurpassed potential, yet far too many Alaskans are struggling to find affordable, quality access to health care. More than 100,000 Alaskans don't have health insurance. Those who do have insurance have watched their costs soar; health care premiums rose 14.2 percent since 2001. Older Alaskans face a growing doctor shortage. As U.S. Senator, Mark Begich will fight for high-quality, affordable health care access for all Alaskan that they can count on for a lifetime, starting from birth and lasting through your older years. (Continued)

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Ted Stevens

It is important that every American have access to the health care that they need. I have worked hard to improve access to health care in our state. I have supported expansion of Denali KidsCare to provide health coverage to more young Alaskans. We need to continue to make sure that health care is available and affordable for all.(Continued)

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Candidates for Congress – U.S. Representative

Ethan Berkowitz statement

Thehealthcare system is broken and must be improved. Nearly 50 million Americans and 120,000 Alaskans are uninsured and risk bankruptcy from even the smallest of medical procedures. Getting sick shouldn't mean going broke, and in the wealthiest country in the world, people who need healthcare should be able to get it – and people who provide health care should get paid.

I've participated in discussions across Alaska about our health care system. The conversations usually begin as stories about life – about our families, our businesses. They're about the quality and availability of medical treatment. They describe the anguish of a parent unable to provide for children, or the desperation of an elder caught up against the crushing cost of medicine.

Providing health care for all Alaskans is a goal we must reach. In the short term, we can alleviate burdens on Alaskans by allowing small businesses to work together to pool their employees to make insurance affordable. We can expand the federal SCHIP – Denali KidCare — program to cover more children. Ultimately, this debate is about making sure doctors can deliver quality health care and that Alaskans have access to that care without going broke.

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Don Young

Congressman Don Young was re-elected to the 110th Congress in 2006 to serve his 18th term as Alaska's only Representative to the United States House of Representatives. First sworn in as a freshman to the 93rd Congress after winning a special election on March 6, 1973, Congressman Young is today the 3rd ranking Republican member and the 7th ranking overall member of the House of Representatives.(Continued)

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Candidates for president and vice president

McCain-Palin Straight Talk on Health System Reform

John McCain believes we can and must provide access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision for achieving that. For too long, our nation's leaders have talked about reforming health care. Now is the time to act. (Continued)

State of Alaska Health and Social Services press releases

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Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes – government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that's why they've proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. (Continued)

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Health care and Election 2008

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