2024 New Hampshire Debate Featuring 1st District Candidates: Health Care Costs
Rethink zoning and think creatively about how you can build for the future. Speaking of high premiums, health insurance premiums have increased again this year by 7%, more than twice the rate of inflation. The average cost of family insurance is more than $25,000, and half of small business owners say they want the next Congress to handle health care policy. Congressman Pappas, you talked about working to stabilize and expand the Affordable Care Act to lower health care costs. But if these ideas don’t work to reduce costs, is it time to change sides and increase government intervention in the health care market? I am a supporter of market-based solutions, and That’s why I support the Affordable Care Act. We must continue to defend this law to ensure people have access to health insurance in this state. Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. That’s why I’ve worked to expand Medicaid in New Hampshire. And I worked to ensure that there were subsidies available for Affordable Care Act plans that would reduce health care costs for a significant number of New Hampshire families. It’s also important to realize that prescription drugs account for approximately 15% of total healthcare costs. And in fact, for the first time, we negotiated with a major pharmaceutical company to negotiate lower insulin prices for seniors on Medicare, capping the price of insulin at $35. This would save seniors nationwide $1.5 billion in the first year alone. That will have a positive impact on the approximately 20,000 seniors here in the Granite State. So there’s still a lot we can do. But after hearing some news today about Speaker Mike Johnson and his plans, should Republicans get a majority on repealing the Affordable Care Act next year? You can’t turn back the clock. We must move forward to protect insurance coverage, make it more affordable, and continue to address the high costs of prescriptions. Prescott said just today that House Speaker Mike Johnson will push for major reform of the Affordable Care Act if President Trump is re-elected. The first 100 days of Congress. Now, last week here, you said you wouldn’t repeal Obamacare. Did Speaker Johnson’s comments change your mind?In general, what is one specific thing you would promote to reduce granite starter health care costs? My opinion hasn’t changed. One of the things we must do to reduce health care costs is to make sure our economy is strong and profitable for business. We cannot raise taxes any further, which is what is being proposed when the tax cuts expire next year, and we must stand firm and ensure that we will not allow any tax increases. No. It will disrupt our economy and impact business. Therefore, companies like mine that provide health care will pay 100% of their health care premiums to any employee who chooses to do so, full-time. That’s what we do. If we have a problem in the economy and we have a problem with tax increases causing disruption and people having health insurance, I want to make sure the economy is strong. And the way we do that is by making sure that we keep inflation in check. Try to balance your budget, reduce your deficit, and plan for the future. Solving social security problems. The next question about defunding the Affordable Care Act didn’t get much of an answer here. I think this is important given the context of this debate and what national Republicans are trying to do. They’ve been trying to dismantle it for over a decade. If they get a majority, they will absolutely go in that direction. And the fact is that when Russell Prescott was a state senator, he voted to block Medicaid expansion, which now covers 60,000 Granite citizens, and while he was a state senator he wrote a bill that would increase premiums for small businesses. However, it has been abolished. By Governor Lynch and a bipartisan majority in the Legislature because of the impact on health care in our state. So I think he just has a track record that’s not positive for the people of New Hampshire when it comes to expanding care and containing costs. 30 delegates respond. I certainly appreciate Chris Pappas’ criticism, but it’s misplaced. The process of making sure we have more and more insurance companies in our state, that was the reason for the bill he said to reduce costs. We also want to ensure that we comply with the Long-Term Care Fee Burden Act. It’s in place and we’ll make sure to adjust it. The reason why I voted against this bill when it was introduced in the state Senate is because it actually changes dramatically. Labor requirements for all people in the United States. Now that it’s a socialized system, you don’t have to work if
2024 New Hampshire Debate Featuring 1st District Candidates: Health Care Costs
Updated: October 30, 2024 10:30pm EDT
In the Granite State debate, New Hampshire 1st District candidates Chris Pappas and Russell Prescott discuss the Affordable Care Act and how they will promote lower health care costs.
In the Granite State debate, New Hampshire 1st District candidates Chris Pappas and Russell Prescott discuss the Affordable Care Act and how they will promote lower health care costs.
