Page 13 - 2018PHAVoterGuide

Marc Freidenberg (D)
I believe that healthcare is a human right that should be afforded to all Americans, no
matter their income or health status. I am proud to support a single-payer national
insurance program based on the Medicare system. Such a system would encourage
people to seek preventative care, thereby reducing healthcare costs while bringing
about more positive health outcomes.

If elected to Congress, I will support investing federal funds in rural community
healthcare centers so that no American is left without access to healthcare
professionals. But that means we need some reforms to the system, to make affordable
healthcare a reality for everyone. Reforms should come in the form of decreasing unnecessarily complex
administrative practices, including standardizing billing and collections practices. Additional reforms
come from reducing spending by providing higher-quality initial care.

In the coming years, we will see an increasingly large proportion of our citizens retire and begin to rely
on programs like Medicare and Medicaid to cover their medical treatment. Rather than choosing to live
in a care home as they begin to experience age-related health complications, many senior citizens will
choose instead to rely on in-home personal care. This decision is a deeply personal one and I believe that
we have a duty to care for our senior citizens regardless of the healthcare choices they make. I believe
that Medicare should be expanded to cover in-home personal care so that financial concerns do not
dictate senior citizens’ healthcare decisions.

District 13 – Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria (part),

Cumberland (part), Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Somerset,
Westmoreland (part) (OPEN SEAT)

Dr. John Joyce (R)
With the realization that homecare is significantly less expensive than in the hospital
care, serious considerations have to be made for the rising cost of care with each
hospitalization. Hospital incurred Medicaid, and Medicare costs need to be brought
under control to make funds available for the necessary in home care that occurs
subsequent to many major hospitalizations. Simply, this is a checks and balance
situation.

When thorough, kind, and important care can occur in an in-home setting at
substantially less cost than hospitalization, a commonsense solution for funding can
be achieved.

Brent Ottaway (D)
The graying of Pennsylvania will require significant actions on a number of fronts,
including improving infrastructure and luring businesses and industries that will
attract and keep young people.

From the standpoint of caring for the aging Boomers, expanding Medicare to allow
for extended in-home care should play an important role. The benefits of this include
the measurable (financial savings, alleviating worker shortage) and the immeasurable
(peace of mind and the potential for greater happiness). I expect to advocate for that
expansion.

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