The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Ohio and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on

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Answer from Sherrod Brown:

The first step is structural. All care for the elderly, including long-term care, should be incorporated into Medicare. This would relieve the states of the largest component of Medicaid spending and encourage cost-efficient integration of health and long-term care services for Medicare beneficiaries. I will continue to support legislation that would authorize the federal government to negotiate reasonable prescription drug prices for the Medicare program, as the VA does today. This could result in price reductions of 50% or greater. I will also support aggressive research and interventions aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of chronic disease, which is a major factor in the rising cost of Medicare and Medicaid. And I will support efforts to identify best practices in health care, which improve the quality of care and combat excess spending. None of these measures would shift additional costs to the states.

Answer from Merrill Samuel "Sam" Keiser, Jr.:

What measures will you support to cope with rising costs of Medicare and Medicaid?

I support all measures and initiatives to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste built into our health care delivery system. More than 25% of all healthcare cost is waste and fraud. I support Health Savings Accounts to provide incentives for Americans to assume responsibility for their own healthcare. I support all efforts to put more money into preventive healthcare. I support encouraging private and public insurers to provide incentives for reducing cost of premiums for those persons who practice good health habits and penalize those who do not.

Would any of these measures involve shifting additional costs to the states?

Shifting the cost of Medicare and Medicaid form the Federal government to the states does not solve the problems of rising healthcare costs. The contracts of poorly performing or fraudulent healthcare providers would be terminated. Incentives can be offered rewarding excellent performance in health care, in fact, there a move underway establishing Pay-for-Performance incentives by insurers in the healthcare industry

The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.