2010 DE Senate Debates: on Health Care

Chris Coons: Malpractice lawsuits with no cap offer important redress

COONS: I think it is critical that folks in this country be able to stand up to and take on powerful interests. And where individuals are harmed, that they're able to go into court and to seek redress. I don't support putting caps on liability because it is only the threat of a significant recovery that allows protection for consumers, for patients, for investors. I think that's an important part of the American legal system.

Chris Coons: Extend, perfect, and implement ObamaCare

O'DONNELL: Those are very important things that are part of insurance reform, not health care reform. I want to fight to fully repeal that so that we can begin to enact real reform.

COONS: I support the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. I think it made significant advances, and you outlined many of them. I argue for extending, perfecting, and implementing this landmark bill. It's not perfect. There are problems with it. But I think rather than turning it back and repealing and going for another year or two of endless partisan bickering, this was a critical piece of legislation

Chris Coons: Groups representing nurses & seniors support ObamaCare

COONS: That's a great slogan. You toss it around everywhere you go. How does this bill actually put Uncle Sam in the examination room between doctors and patients?

O'DONNELL: It dictates what kind of treatment a doctor can and can't do, what kind it will fund.

COONS: So why did the organization that fights for and represents America's nurses, America's seniors, America's hospitals, and America's doctors, all endorse and support this bill?

O'DONNELL: Many of those branches on the state level, including here in Delaware, have said we don't support what the national office has done.

COONS: Christiana Care hosted a debate earlier today. I was sorry you chose not to join us. It would have been great to hear the response of the physicians and the nurses and the hospital administrators to your suggesting that they didn't support a bill they lobbied for.

Christine O`Donnell: ObamaCare is insurance reform, not health care reform

O'DONNELL: No one is disputing that our health care system before ObamaCare didn't need reform. Those are very important things that are part of insurance reform, not health care reform. I want to fight to fully repeal that so that we can begin to enact real reform. And that real reform would include allowing policy portability when you change jobs allowing Delawareans to get policies across state lines. And I would also fight for some sort of tort reform.

COONS: I argue for extending & perfecting it rather than repealing. This was a critical piece of legislation.

Christine O`Donnell: 1/4 of Democrats now oppose ObamaCare, as costs skyrocket

COONS: There are significant advances in this bill that allow us to make health care safer, stronger, more transparent. And if I've got a major concern about this bill, it's that we're going to reduce costs without squelching innovation.

O'DONNELL: You say that you're concerned about reducing costs, but reports have showed that this health care bill has caused costs to skyrocket.

COONS: I don't know what reports you're reading. I haven't seen reports that document that.

O'DONNELL: One out of four Democrats have gone on record saying that they oppose ObamaCare; they've realized that we made a bad mistake.

COONS: And three out of four Democrats strongly support it.

Q: You oppose the government mandating that everyone must purchase health insurance, is that right?

O'DONNELL: Yes, because we're confusing coverage with care. Our goal needs to be to make health care affordable.

Christine O`Donnell: ObamaCare puts Uncle Sam in the examination room

COONS: That's a great slogan. You toss it around everywhere you go. How does this bill actually put Uncle Sam in the examination room between doctors and patients?

O'DONNELL: It dictates what kind of treatment a doctor can and can't do, what kind it will fund.

COONS: So why did the organization that fights for and represents America's nurses, America's seniors, America's hospitals, and America's doctors, all endorse and support this bill?

O'DONNELL: Many of those branches on the state level, including here in Delaware, have said we don't support what the national office has done.

COONS: Christiana Care hosted a debate earlier today. I was sorry you chose not to join us. You're suggesting that they didn't support a bill they lobbied for.

Christine O`Donnell: Avoid ER expenses by cross-state catastrophic insurance

O'DONNELL: If we do the things that I'm proposing, that will help to address the issue of health care, then that person can afford to buy a catastrophic-only policy from across state lines.

Q: What if the person doesn't want to buy it?

O'DONNELL: Make them pay it. Hold them accountable for that.

Q: Before or after they get care?

O'DONNELL: Well, that's up to the hospital. But right now we're forcing them to. So this is something that we're already doing. You're talking about a very small hypothetical; using scare tactics to make people support this health care bill. What I'm proposing will help alleviate those situations. Nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else's health care, and that's what ObamaCare is doing.

Chris Coons: Responsibly implement healthcare law while containing costs

But O'Donnell called for the "full repeal" of the healthcare law, saying that "the federal government was never intended to be as invasive and intrusive into our lives as it is now."

Christine O`Donnell: Full repeal of invasive & intrusive healthcare law

But O'Donnell called for the "full repeal" of the healthcare law, saying that "the federal government was never intended to be as invasive and intrusive into our lives as it is now."

The response elicited loud cheers from O'Donnell's supporters while garnering sustained boos from Coons backers.