Latest Answers http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/1616 a view of answers sorted by date for answer page en Well first of all we don’t have a health care system in this country. Hopefully that’s one of the things that will happen with the new president. When you talk to small businesses, large businesses, people that have their own business, they all agree, most of the people I talk to agree, that we really do need a healthcare system in this country. Hopefully that will be started on this next year, and we can get it accomplished, but its gonna take a little while to make it happen. Reporter: What about the whole question of cost, which your Republican colleagues will definitely bring up? Rep. Hooley: They’ll bring it up, but so will the Democrats. You have to understand it was Republicans that put us into this hideous deficit that we have right now. I think as we bring our troops home from the war, that’s where we’ll get some of the money. And we’re gonnna have to look very carefully at what we do and where we’re putting our money. And if you don’t do this you’re gonna have a Medicare system that’s gonna go broke as well. So you have to put the Medicare system with the rest of the health care system together. Again it may be a slow start but we’ve gotta move forward on this. I think its critical to our country. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well-first-all-we-don%E2%80%99t-have-health-care-system-country.-hopefully-%E2%80%99s-one-things-will-happen Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:24:06 -0500 Bryan H 1676 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org <p>Well as someone who had a family situation where my dad did not have health insurance, I had to drop out of college and go to work; I have a strong personal opinion that we should mandate some sort of health coverage, but I&rsquo;d like it private with choice. I think right now we really have some of that, but I think some folks without health insurance end up using the system, maybe not paying for the system. But everybody should have access to health care in this country. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Reporter: Do you think the government has dropped the ball on it? </p><p>Mica: I do. The more serious problems are the cost of healthcare that has driven prices up for everybody, the lawsuits are totally out of control. The paperwork, the monster we have created in regulatory fashion around healthcare has driven costs up, and if we compare the costs in the US to costs in over countries: we could do a better job. </p><p>Reporter: And do you think there is a quick fix to it, what&rsquo;s the answer to get rid of all that paperwork and to bring the cost down? </p><p>Mica: Again, bring the cost down for drugs, defensive medicine, for healthcare in general, I think you&rsquo;ve really gotta have some serious lawsuit reform. We&rsquo;ve go to change that, we&rsquo;ve got to get to a paperless system, a less bureaucratic system, that will help some. But I think we really might want to look to the Massachusetts system, where everyone is required to be covered, but everyone has a choice and I think that would be something that would be preferable.</p> http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bwell-someone-who-had-family-situation-where-my-dad-did-not-have-health-insurance%2C-i Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Matt Laslo 1678 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org