3rd Congressional District candidate debate in Lafayette touches on health care, economy, coastal issues

Oct. 18--The state of the country's health care system was among the topics during a wide-ranging Wednesday night forum featuring six of the seven candidates running for 3rd Congressional District.

Democrats Rob Anderson, Mimi Methvin and Verone Thomas, Republicans Josh Guillory and incumbent Congressman Clay Higgins, and Libertarian Aaron Andrus debated issues on the economy, coastal erosion, infrastructure, health care, debt and student loans during the forum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette hosted by One Acadiana. Democrat Larry Rader was absent.

The primary is Nov. 6. Early voting starts Tuesday and ends Oct. 30.

When asked whether she supports a single-payer health care system, Methvin noted the U.S. government would be paying $50 trillion over the next 10 years on health care costs while "Medicare-for-all" would cost a projected $40 trillion. She said it's horrible that people are terrified of getting sick because it could bankrupt them.

"We're not getting our money's worth for what we're paying," Methvin said. "Two things that we know is that were paying a tremendous amount in administrative fees that would be avoided if we had a single-payer system and we're paying a tremendous amount for our prescription drugs because our Congress and this administration has blocked the ability for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate to get down the costs."

She advocated for first undoing the "sabotage" of the Affordable Care Act and move toward "Medicare-for-all."

Guillory said the answer to America's crippling health care costs is in the free market. He said the government should remove regulations that keep insurance companies from being able to offer plans across state lines.

"The answer is not to increase the size, power and scope of the federal government," Guillory said. "One answer is to increase the power of the private sector. We need to tear down these walls around each of our 50 states around health care. There's no reason that if there's a plan in Minnesota that's better for your family that you shouldn't have access to it. Better access is with the private sector, not the government."

On the national debt, the candidates agreed that the debt and deficit need to be cut and brought under control, with Methvin and Guillory taking shots at Higgins' record of voting to increase the national debt and the deficit.

"The office we've established has been recognized as one of the most conservative in Washington D.C.," Higgins said. "It's absurd to say otherwise. We've voted to advance the conservative agenda. If we needed to take 80 yards and a field goal, we'd do that if we couldn't get 100 yards and a touchdown. I voted begrudgingly twice against my colleagues and the president on two major appropriations bills."

Methvin replied during the next question that the Republicans aren't fiscally conservative or responsible and are beholden to corporations.

Higgins also said he supports a wall along the Mexican border as a part of slowing down illegal crossings so border patrol could stop it, and Thomas said he had seen tunnels in San Diego that were made to go under the wall there and argued that the U.S. needs a better relationship with Mexico to stop the cartels and make immigration work for everyone seeking jobs.

Methvin said she supports the lawsuits against oil companies for damage to the coast, saying it would be in everyone's best interest for the companies to settle. Guillory also touched on infrastructure and said he supports funding the coastal master plan, although Thomas said he thinks the master plan is flawed as it doesn't adequately address the problems the levees and compacting sedimentary layers caused after oil drilling.

When it came to infrastructure, most of the candidates agreed that the Interstate 49 corridor through Lafayette and Interstate 10 bridge in Lake Charles are the most important projects for the 3rd District.

___

(c)2018 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.

Visit The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. at www.theadvocate.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.