CANDIDATES: Report Outlines Health Care Positions

      In an effort to draw distinctions among political candidates' health care positions this election year, the California HealthCare Foundation and the Commonwealth Club of California yesterday released a bipartisan report outlining the opinions of presidential and congressional candidates. "The candidates recognize health care will be a major issue in this election year and that is why they have offered detailed answers to our tough questions," Dr. Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, said. Dr. Gloria Duffy, CEO of the Commonwealth Club of California, said: "Increasingly, those running for public office feel constrained to address issues in short, punchy soundbites. This does not provide the sustained discussion and debate of major health care policy issues that the times -- and the voters -- demand." The two organizations surveyed candidates about their health care policy views, Duffy said, "[b]ecause the need for improvement in our health care system is so great, and the debate in this election year has thus far been so minimal." Titled, "Election 2000: What the Candidates Say About Health Care," the report delineates candidates' stances on health insurance, rising health care costs, the future of Medicare, senior prescription drug coverage and health care quality improvements. The report features opinions from presidential candidates Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Vice President Al Gore and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. It also includes the views of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) and her challenger Rep. Tom Campbell (R) as well as the following congressional candidates: Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D) and Claude Hutchison (R) (Alameda/Contra Costa counties); Rep. James Rogan (R) and Adam Schiff (D)(Los Angeles county); and Jim Cunneen (R) and Mike Honda (D)(Santa Clara/Santa Cruz counties); Jane Harmon (D) and Rep. Steve Kuykendall (R) (Los Angeles County); Rep. Lois Capp (D) and Mike Stoker (R)(San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara counties); Rep. Steve Horn (R) and Gerrie Schipske (D) (Los Angeles County); and Rep. Brian Bilbray (R) and Susan Davis (D) (San Diego County). To read the full text of the report, type www.chcf.org or www.commonwealthclub.org into your Web browser (Commonwealth Club of California/California HealthCare Foundation release, 7/23).