Betty Castor and Peter Deutsch have different ideas on health insurance.
By ANITA KUMAR
Published August 24, 2004
Just as they agree on most other issues, U.S. Senate candidates Betty Castor and Peter Deutsch have the same bottom line on health care.
There should be more of it, the Democrats say.
But their different approaches toward reaching the same goal provide one of the most striking differences in the Democratic primary.
Deutsch, a member of Congress from Hollywood in Broward County, supports universal health care for every American. His initial plan calls for spending $500-billion over a decade to provide health care for 25-million Americans who don't have insurance.
Castor, the former state education commissioner and University of South Florida president, says that is impractical. She supports spending $60-billion over a decade to insure 9.4-million people.
"We have got to expand health care coverage and attack the rising costs of health care," Castor said. "And we need to work at it in a practical way, building on our public-private programs."
Both would pay for their programs by repealing tax cuts for the wealthy and saving money by increasing preventive care and reducing medical errors.
Deutsch criticized Castor for failing to endorse universal health care, which is supported by Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and former president Bill Clinton.
"Maybe she should tell John Kerry it's not practical. Maybe she should tell Bill Clinton it's not practical," Deutsch said. "Those are two pretty good references."
Health care has become one of the most talked about issues in the Democratic race. The top two candidates have repeatedly vowed to help solve America's health care crisis on the campaign trail and in television commercials.
It is one of the few defining differences between Deutsch and Castor, who will compete in a winner-take-all Democratic primary Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, the third major candidate, said he supports universal health care. But he said the nation needs to find a more immediate way to provide insurance to some people until it can resolve the debate over universal health care.
"We've been debating it for 20 years," Penelas said. "Every single man, woman and child should have health insurance. It's a right, not a privilege."
None of the candidates has a plan to provide health care to all 44-million Americans who do not have insurance, which includes 3-million people in Florida.
But Deutsch comes the closest.
He wants to help insure 25-million more Americans by expanding federal programs such as Medicaid. He would require governments to contract only with companies that offer employee benefits, allow small businesses to enter the health insurance program for federal employees and provide assistance on premiums to those with low incomes.
The initial plan would cost more than $500-billion, but Deutsch factors in savings for not having to pay for emergency room care for the uninsured, incentives for a healthier lifestyle and reducing administrative costs by making all medical records electronic.
Deutsch said he also would file a bill on his first day supporting universal health care. He said universal health care would be possible only if the United States generates more revenue by stimulating the economy and creating jobs, among other things. He says the country will have universal health care in 12 months if Kerry is elected president and the Democrats are in the majority in at least one chamber of Congress.
"I consider myself a radical on health care issues," Deutsch says repeatedly in his stump speech. "I believe there should be universal health care for every man, woman and child."
Castor was state education commissioner in 1990 when she worked with Tom Gallagher, a Republican and then the state's insurance commissioner, to create a school-based health insurance plan for children whose parents earn too much to qualify for federal Medicaid but can't afford private insurance.
In 1997, Congress used Healthy Kids as a model for a national program to provide insurance for children, earmarking $24-billion over 10 years to spend on insuring children.
Castor wants to extend coverage to parents of children in Healthy Kids and similar programs across the country. That proposal is outlined in a bill introduced by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
The plan would cost more than $300-billion, but she said savings could lower the cost to $60-billion.
Penelas wants to expand health care for children under the state's KidCare program, which offers affordable, low-cost health insurance for the uninsured children of Florida.
But he also supports creating a program that would offer basic primary care and preventive care for people who aren't insured. Costs would be split between the insured, business and government.
All three candidates support giving tax breaks to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report. Anita Kumar can be reached at kumar@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.
Dean stumps for Castor
WEST PALM BEACH - Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean stumped for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Betty Castor Monday, praising her record on education and health care.
Dean, who earlier this year led the field of presidential candidates before his campaign collapsed, praised Castor's chances of winning the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Bob Graham. She faces U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas in next week's primary.
"We've got to hold onto Bob Graham's seat and Betty Castor can do that better than anybody else," said Dean, appearing with the candidate onstage in a rally at Harriet Himmel Gilman Theater.
