AARP Voters Guide Governor Washington How to use the AARP

2008 AARP Voters’ Guide Governor, Washington How to use the AARP Voters’ Guide: Here’s how this Voters’ Guide works. AARP asked key questions about issues important to our members and their families of each major candidate for this race. Each candidate was allowed up to 125 words to answer each question. AARP did not edit or modify those answers. The candidates were asked to check the support or oppose circles. The candidates may have chosen not to check a circle. Inside: Health Care Prescription Drugs Long-Term Care Financial Security/ Consumer Protection 2 3 4 5 AARP has provided a summary of our position for each of the issues. • Pass this guide on to friends and family. • Share your views with the candidates. • Ask for clarification from any candidate whose answer seems unclear. Be sure to vote on November 4. www.aarp.org/elections 2008 AARP Voters’ Guide | Governor Washington Q: Support Health Care As governor, how will you ensure that the Blue Ribbon Commission goals are met? AARP’s Position: Make health care reform a toppriority issue in 2009 and 2010. Oppose Urge legislators to act on recommendations of the Health Care Workgroup. Support Oppose Adequately fund outreach and enrollment of SCHIP and Medicaid eligible children. Support Oppose Christine Gregoire (D): Make health care reform a toppriority issue in 2009 and 2010. Support Oppose Urge legislators to act on recommendations of the Health Care Workgroup. Support Oppose Adequately fund outreach and enrollment of SCHIP and Medicaid eligible children. Support Oppose Dino Rossi (R): Make health care reform a toppriority issue in 2009 and 2010. Support Oppose Urge legislators to act on recommendations of the Health Care Workgroup. Support Oppose Adequately fund outreach and enrollment of SCHIP and Medicaid eligible children. Support Oppose The candidate chose not to mark a circle. The Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access established the goal “All Washingtonians will have access to health coverage that provides effective care by 2012, with all children having such coverage by 2010.” AARP believes that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care and that the cost of care should not burden future generations. We urge the future governor and legislators to support the Health Care Workgroup process established by S.B. 6333, which calls for detailed analysis of five alternative proposals for state health care reform, followed by a broad civic engagement process and a recommendation to the 2010 legislative body. AARP also supports measures to strengthen and expand existing public programs that cover vulnerable populations, including Medicaid, SCHIP, and the Basic Health Plan. I believe health care is a right, not a perk. As the chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission, I believe we must continue to make health care more affordable and accessible in Washington, especially for children. Since 2005, our state has provided health care to 84,000 more kids and thousands more adults, and will cover all kids by 2010. With your support, we can keep delivering these results and make sure all Washingtonians have a healthy future. I support the Blue Ribbon Commission’s mission to “reduce health care costs and increase access for all Washingtonians.” Unfortunately, the incumbent governor and legislature have failed to implement most of the recommendations by this commission. We need to take action now to put people, not government, in charge of their own health care. We can improve access to quality, affordable health care by reducing the number of mandates, encouraging the use of Health Savings Accounts, and encouraging competition to reduce costs. We need a strong, effective, compassionate health care safety net that takes care of all of our low-income and vulnerable citizens. I support funding SCHIP in order to provide health care to poor children who need it the most and would otherwise go without. 2 November 4, 2008 | Governor 2008 AARP Voters’ Guide | Governor Washington Q: Support Prescription Drugs How do you propose to address the high cost of prescription drugs? AARP’s Position: Continue funding the Medicare Part D Drug Co-payment Program for low-income beneficiaries. Oppose Establish an academic detailing program. Support Oppose Christine Gregoire (D): Continue funding the Medicare Part D Drug Co-payment Program for low-income beneficiaries. Support Oppose Establish an academic detailing program. Support Oppose Dino Rossi (R): Continue funding the Medicare Part D Drug Co-payment Program for low-income beneficiaries. Support Oppose Establish an academic detailing program. Support Oppose The candidate chose not to mark a circle. Prescription drug prices continue to increase at nearly twice the rate of general inflation. AARP supports a range of policies to help people afford needed prescriptions drugs, including subsidies for low-income Medicare beneficiaries. In addition, AARP supports measures to counterbalance the pharmaceutical industry’s aggressive marketing tactics. Individual pharmaceutical sales representatives, also known as “detailers,” meet with doctors and other providers to promote their products, and often provide doctors with gifts and other perks. This encourages the use of brand-name drugs and drives up pharmaceutical costs for consumers. To keep costs down, AARP supports what is known as “academic detailing.” This is a program to provide doctors and other prescribers with comparative, objective data about the benefits and risks of specific drugs. Washingtonians deserve less expensive prescription drugs. I made the request to the Legislature for the Medicare Part D program, and I support its continuation. The state has saved $3.3 million for 80,000 Washingtonians with a new prescription drug card. Transparency and openness are also important to keep costs down, and our health care system is more open than it was three years ago. I will consider any proposal to make our healthcare system more open, and provide patients more information and choices about their healthcare. The high cost of prescription drugs are a burden for many seniors. They should never be forced to choose between taking their necessary medication and paying their bills or buying food. I support making prescription drugs more affordable through the safe importation of FDA approved drugs and making generic drugs more accessible. The use of generic drugs is an effective cost-saving tool that still gives seniors access to the drugs they need. We should continue to promote the use of generic drugs and educate people on their safety and affordability. Governor | November 4, 2008 3 2008 AARP Voters’ Guide | Governor Washington Q: Support Long-Term Care How do you propose to make high-quality long-term care more affordable and accessible to all Washingtonians? AARP’s Position: Establish Aging and Disability Resource Centers in every county. Oppose Increase funding for respite services for family caregivers. Support Oppose Ensure an adequate, stable, and well-trained workforce. Support Oppose Christine Gregoire (D): Establish Aging and Disability Resource Centers in every county. Support Oppose Increase funding for respite services for family caregivers. Support Oppose Ensure an adequate, stable, and well-trained workforce. Support Oppose Dino Rossi (R): Establish Aging and Disability Resource Centers in every county. Support Oppose Increase funding for respite services for family caregivers. Support Oppose Ensure an adequate, stable, and well-trained workforce. Support Oppose The candidate chose not to mark a circle. Americans should have choices when it comes to long-term care—allowing them to maintain their independence at home or in their communities. To achieve this goal, people need better information, resources, and support to help them understand what services are available and minimize confusion. AARP supports the tested Aging and Disability Resource Center model, which provides one-stop shopping to help consumers navigate our longterm care system. Family members and friends provide the vast majority of long-term care. To support them in this often difficult role, more respite care services are needed so caregivers can take a needed break. Finally, with the demand for long-term care services predicted to increase exponentially, we need to do more to attract and retain a high-quality paid-caregiver workforce. Families and communities are vital parts of our healthcare system, and we must provide them more information and recognize the role they play. Pilot projects of information centers were tested in Washington, and I will consider them as a method to provide more information about long term care. I will also consider any proposal that recognizes the role family caregivers play in our healthcare system. I believe in protecting the most vulnerable in our society, including the elderly, disabled, mentally ill and people in nursing homes. With more people reaching retirement age, the need for long-term planning is very important. We must be encouraging people to adequately prepare and save for their future and choose the type of long-term care that best meets their individual needs. Skilled nursing facilities play an important role in providing long-term quality health care. I will support these facilities and work to ensure that quality of care does not diminish. We need to make sure that long-term care is here to stay. 4 November 4, 2008 | Governor 2008 AARP Voters’ Guide | Governor Washington Q: Support Financial Security/Consumer Protections In this uncertain economy, what will you do to encourage people to plan and prepare for their retirement and protect consumers from financial fraud and abuse that can erode retirement savings? AARP’s Position: Invest in consumer education programs to increase financial literacy. Oppose Establish fair and reasonable consumer protections on predatory lending. Support Oppose Implement Washington Voluntary Retirement Accounts statewide. Support Oppose Christine Gregoire (D): Invest in consumer education programs to increase financial literacy. Support Oppose Establish fair and reasonable consumer protections on predatory lending. Support Oppose Implement Washington Voluntary Retirement Accounts statewide. Support Oppose Dino Rossi (R): Invest in consumer education programs to increase financial literacy. Support Oppose Establish fair and reasonable consumer protections on predatory lending. Support Oppose Implement Washington Voluntary Retirement Accounts statewide. Support Oppose The candidate chose not to mark a circle. AARP believes that we should protect and preserve Social Security while also encouraging people to build their own private savings and work longer if they choose to do so. Consumers need more and better information about how to protect themselves from financial fraud and abuse. In addition, the practices of lenders that make high-interest loans, often called “payday” loans, should be curtailed. Such lenders are increasingly targeting recipients of Social Security and other government benefits. Finally, to support and encourage people to save for their own retirement, AARP supports greater opportunities to participate in workplace savings programs such as the Washington Voluntary Accounts, which will make it possible for small employers that do not now offer a workplace savings plan to be able to offer one to their employees. Financial education and protections against predatory lending are very important, especially in tough economic times. My Department of Financial Institutions has launched many initiatives to promote financial education, and I will continue these efforts during my second term. In 2008, I signed a bill that stepped up oversight of mortgage lenders so consumers would be better protected. I will continue to look for ways to protect consumers from predatory lending and help Washingtonians prepare for their financial futures. I support protecting Social Security and believe that my colleagues at the federal level must find a way to put it on a path toward fiscal sustainability. But we must also supplement the Social Security system by encouraging people to establish personal retirement savings accounts. This will allow individuals to better plan for their future and help ensure they have stable income during their retirement years. Seniors are often victims of fraud and abuse, and I do support programs to increase financial literacy and protect against predatory lending. Governor | November 4, 2008 5 AARP Washington 9750 3rd Avenue, Suite 450 Seattle, WA 98115 1-866-687-2277 Candidate websites: www.chrisgregoire.com www.dinorossi.com If you are not registered to vote, go to www.aarp.org/makeadifference/politics/ and look under Tools for a form to fill out and send to your local voter registrar (the address will be there). Go to the same website if you need an application for an absentee ballot or to find out if your state allows early voting and what dates that will occur. Voter Information Inside