APHA Hosts Health Forum With Presidential Campaigns

REPRESENTATIVES of the Bush and Kerry presidential campaigns took part in an APHA-sponsored forum on current public health issues in September in Washington, D.C.

During the forum, “Public Health and the Presidential Election: A Discussion with the Campaigns,” each representative had the chance to lay out their candidates’ positions on health issues as well as their proposals to provide Americans with affordable health care. The Sept. 14 event, which was organized in partnership with the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, featured Sarah Bianchi of the Kerry campaign and Colin Roskey of the Bush campaign. The Kaiser Family Foundation broadcast the forum via the Internet later that day.

Roskey

“We must make sure that public health issues remain at the forefront of national policy debates,” said Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, APHA’s executive director. “We must also help ensure that policymakers understand the great significance that public health decisions have on all Americans.”

The Bush campaign representative, Roskey, began his time with audience members discussing Medicare and the recent legislation, signed by President Bush almost a year ago, that will add a prescription drug benefit to the national health care program for older Americans. He said that the new Medicare law also added new preventive services and made improvements in how Medicare deals with disease management.

“Up until this year, Medicare was just a bill payer,” he said. “Now the program…is being more of a public health steward.”

In regard to health care coverage, Roskey said the president wants to launch a campaign to identify children who are in need of health care. He also said the Bush campaign supports using health savings accounts to help reduce uninsured numbers as well as “meaningful” malpractice reform to rein in rising health care costs. The president also feels competition between brand-name and generic drugs will help ease drug costs, Roskey said.

Bianchi, the Kerry representative, said Sen. John Kerry wants to strengthen health care safety nets such as Medicaid and the state Children’s Health Insurance Program. She said that among Kerry’s proposals is for the federal government to cover children enrolled in CHIP so states can offer health care coverage to adults.

Bianchi

“We’re seeing states squeezed by the deficits,” Bianchi said.

The Kerry campaign also recognizes the need to fortify the public health infrastructure, Bianchi said, noting that such investment will also benefit bioterrorism preparedness. She also said Kerry would expand health care coverage by taking away tax cuts from the rich.

“We would like to roll back those tax cuts and invest in health care and education,” Bianchi said.

In terms of health care costs, Bianchi said Kerry supports drug reimportation as well as negotiating lower drug prices directly with drug companies. Kerry would also increase U.S. funds for HIV/AIDS services, she said.

Bianchi and Roskey also touched on issues such as racial and ethnic health disparities, tobacco prevention and sex education.

The webcast of the forum is available for free at .

Copyright American Public Health Association Nov 2004