health care

Ohio General Assembly

Steve Stivers

COLUMBUS - Steve Stivers' is closing his campaign's policy argument by focusing on health care.

Stivers (R-Columbus) held a press conference at Ohio State University on Thursday to formally announce his health care plan. While details came yesterday, Stivers' has been pushing a healthcare message on television for two weeks. This week his last television ad attacks Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) for wanting "government-run healthcare" that would "jeopardize access" to doctors and cost billions. At the same time Stivers is running a positive ad about his efforts in the state Senate to expand Medicaid benefits.

"I think that Democrats and Republicans alike can agree that goal has to be affordable, accessible health care for every American who wants it," Stivers said, adding that he thinks it's "criminal" when health insurers don't cover people with pre-existing conditions.

COLUMBUS – Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) received high-profile help from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Tuesday in her race for the 15th Congressional District.

Pelosi and Kilroy focused on winning female voters Wednesday by meeting with local mothers at a women’s business roundtable at the Capitol Club. Pelosi and Kilroy also attended a closed-door fundraiser.

Pelosi’s pitch for Kilroy is that her joining a Democratic Congress will help America’s children.

“People ask me what the three most important issues are in Congress, Mary Jo, and I always say the same thing: our children, our children, our children,” Pelosi said.

A prominent national labor union is sponsoring a thirty-second ad against U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley).

The ad, titled "Higher Cost," is being paid by the SEIU and argues that Sununu voted against lower drug prices after he accepted money from drug companies.

TILTON - Sitting in a small faculty room at a child daycare center Tuesday, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) purposed a five-point plan to help lower the cost of health care costs for small businesses.

Shaheen's plan would provide a tax credit to small businesses that provide health care to employees, lower the cost of prescription drugs, boost preventive care programs, increase the use of electronic medical records and reduce medication errors.

U.S. House candidate and Franklin Co. Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) hailed the commission's approval of one year of funding for the Maloney community health center on Columbus's south side.

"Everyone deserves access to healthcare," said Kilroy in her statement. "Nobody should be forced to wait until they're so sick that they must go to the hospital. The preventive treatment provided to those who utilize community health centers goes a long way towards keeping our communities and our country healthy."

Kilroy has made health care a priority during her time as commissioner and a key portion of her Congressional campaign. As commissioner she worked to expand health care by funding Access HealthColumbus, a program that provides health care to low-income residents in Franklin Co. Kilroy has also worked to implement a prescription drug benefit for county residents.

PORTSMOUTH-- U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) accused U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) of standing up for insurance companies after Sununu voted to uphold President Bush's veto of a recent Medicare bill. Sununu said Shaheen is "out of touch" and that he supported legislation that would have enhanced Medicare Advantage.

Yesterday the House and Senate overrode Bush's veto of a bill that would have cut Medicare reimbursements to doctors. The version passed by Congress instead will cut payments to insurance companies. In 1998 Congress approved a reduction in reimbursements to doctors as a way to reduce Medicare spending, a provision which went into effect on July 1. However, Congressional Democrats argued that seniors would have a harder time finding doctors if the cut was enacted. The bill will have cut payments to companies that run the Medicare Advantage program, which affects over 8,000 Granite State seniors.

MANCHESTER- At a Manchester Rotary Club meeting, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) said the two most important issues affecting small businesses is the rising cost of energy prices and health care.

"Small businesses and families are struggling and they feel like Washington isn't paying attention," Shaheen said. "Gas prices are unbearably high, health care costs are increasing and people are legitimately worried about how high heating fuel will get this winter."

U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-Waterville Valley) has announced that he will co-sponsor legislation that will attempt to make health care more affordable and accessible.

The "Making Health Care More Affordable Act" would allow small businesses to join together to negotiate insurance rates, it would also allow people to purchase insurance policies across state lines and provide a tax credit of up to $2,500 for individuals and $6,000 for a family of four. The bill is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and U.S. Rep. Timothy Walberg (R-Mich.).

The state Democratic Party looks to increase the price of goods with renegotiation of treaties to make them enviro-friendly, labor-friendly, human-rights-friendly and just plain friendly to anyone who makes plenty of money in the good old U.S. of A.

Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy: Politicker Photo

COLUMBUS -- Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Columbus) has to balance her job as Franklin County commissioner with her aspiration to become the next representative from the 15th Congressional District, which she did while canvassing withan AFL-CIO group this weekend.

Kilroy spoke at Saturday’s canvassing kickoff for “Working America,” a political outreach group of the AFL-CIO that is canvassing Ohio this year to sign up non-union workers to support political causes, especially universal health care. The group has a goal of increasing membership by 200,000 in Ohio by September. Working America state director Dan Heck said the group is political but nonpartisan. Heck added that 100 volunteers canvass throughout the state every day.

Kilroy spoke to volunteers before they knocked on doors to support universal heatlh care.