What would you do to bring down the costs of health care, including the high cost of prescription medications, and how would you improve health care access?
U.S. Representative
Mary Peltola
Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative
Alaskans face abnormally high costs for health care and limited access due to a shortage of providers. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has employed a successful model to deliver health care to Alaska Natives. I believe there are lessons to be learned from that entity as well as work to be done to entice qualified health care professionals to practice in all parts of Alaska.
Sarah Palin
Republican candidate for U.S. Representative
We need to reduce complexity in the health care system, which puts consumers at a serious disadvantage and reduces opportunities for innovation by entrenching the power of established players in the market. Opaque regulations make it harder for upstart and reputable companies to survive, and makes it easier for massive, monopolizing pharmaceutical companies, insurance providers and hospital systems to get away with fleecing patients. Eliminating artificial complexity and letting the free market function is the best way to reduce health care costs and improve quality and access to care. Competition works everywhere, even in health care.
Chris Bye
Libertarian candidate for U.S. Representative
– First and foremost, abolish the certificate of need system that prevents competition in health care.
– We’ll have to see how the broadband improves with the infrastructure bill but, potentially, telehealth would be beneficial across much of the state. Bush, rural and other Alaskans could get medical appointments virtually delivered while in their homes, reducing the costs of transportation, hotel stays and food.
– I would work to end the corporate protections for Big Pharma enabling behind-the-counter sales of most current prescription medicines such as contraceptives, insulin products, etc. This would allow Alaskans to avoid insurance, hospital admin and doctor fees.
Nick Begich
Republican candidate for U.S. Representative
In 1960, health care costs were less than 6% of GDP. Today, we are approaching 20%. High health care costs are driven by a combination of factors, but some of these are behavioral in nature: poor diet, lack of exercise and a marginal emphasis on early screening. These factors have led to a substantial increase in the number of Americans with heart disease, diabetes, late-stage cancers and related conditions. Simply stated, we must encourage healthier living if we are to meaningfully drive down the costs of health care. That said, reciprocal licensure, drug and medical device patent reform, permitting cross-border purchase of prescription drugs, drug price negotiation, expanding insurance populations across state lines, direct primary care insurance models, provider price transparency (i.e. published costs) and encouraging greater competition within the generic drug market will all support improved competitiveness and allow Americans to receive better choices at a lower price.