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Thune and Daschle Take Sides on Health Care

 

Health Care is an issue of concern for many Americans. Rising costs decrease individuals’ ability to acquire decent health coverage. Currently, 16% of the populace has no insurance (Kaiser Family Foundation). There is a concerted effort to increase health coverage, either through private firms or government funded organizations. The increase of HMOs has resulted in a patients’ bill of rights with several contested points (ontheissues.org).

 

Health Issue Daschle (D) Thune (R)
HMO Litigation
  • HMOs can be sued and individuals can collect damages up to five million dollars
  • HMOs can be sued within states using only federal laws
Prescription Drugs
  • states negotiate bulk purchases
  • establish prescription drug benefit through Medicare
  • small businesses band together for purchases
  • grant funding to private plans

 

HMO Litigation

The two also disagree on litigation of HMOs. Several states allow patients limited legal options to redress coverage denials (International Hospital Federation).

Daschle is in favor of allowing fewer restrictions. He sets high limits on collected damages (ontheissues.org). His position follows that of other democrats, including John Kerry. Like other liberals he believes that it is important to grant citizen's access to redressing the system, and that any increase in health care would be minimal (Business Week).

Thune allows HMOs to be sued in state courts, but only under federal law (ontheissues.org). This type of litigation is already in existence, and denies many types of suites (International Hospital Federation). Like President Bush, Thune believes that medical suites drive up the cost of health care, and thus should be significantly reduced (Black Hills Pioneer).

 

Prescription Drugs

The most pressing issue for many Americans is prescription drugs. The candidates aim their stances at providing increased access. They support importing drugs from Canada. They advocate a larger organism buying the drugs in bulk so that individuals can purchase at a lower cost (World Socialist Web Site).

Thune proposes creating a free market for prescription drugs. He wants to allow “small businesses the opportunity to band together, [giving them] purchasing clout and administrative cost savings [like] big business and union plans,” (NFIB.com). Smaller businesses have a hard time providing health care as they are not large enough to bargain on their own.

Daschle hopes to increase government involvement by having states negotiate bulk purchases (World Socialist Web Site). He also believes in increasing funding to Medicaid for prescription drugs (tomdaschle.com and ontheissues.org).

 

Thune and Daschle represent specific issues since they both agree on the symbolic issue of idea of “improving health care” (Pitkin 1967). Daschle and Thune's positions on health care are constructed to cater repeatedly to a specific group. Because they craft their stance to the same group on several different topics, they create a comprehensive representation that is effective.

 

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For comments contact Anne Pearlstein at anpearlstein@davidson.edu

Created October 12, 2004. Last Updated October 12, 2004