2012 Arizona Senate debate: on Health Care


Richard Carmona: Repealing ObamaCare means public pays for the uninsured

Flake said, "I will vote to repeal the president's health-care plan, my opponent will not."

Repealing the plan would only put the burden on the people as the general public would pick up the insurance costs for the uninsured, Carmona said. "There are good things in the plan, but it needs a better business plan," he added.

Source: Yuma Sun on 2012 Arizona "Rural Issues" Senate debate Oct 25, 2012

Richard Carmona: Would not have voted for ObamaCare

Carmona said he wouldn't have voted for President Obama's healthcare reform law, although he has previously expressed support for the law and called its passage "brave."

Flake attempted from the start of the race to tie Carmona to Obama particularly and Democratic policies in general. And it's a fight Flake continued [in this debate], arguing that Carmona's positions, ranging from earmarks to healthcare, reflected the position of the Obama administration.

Source: The Hill coverage of 2012 Arizona Senate debates Oct 10, 2012

Richard Carmona: Eliminate waste, fraud, & abuse--then prevention

Carmona asserted that both parties were wrong on healthcare because they hadn't addressed the main drivers of cost. In the short term, he suggested eliminating waste, fraud and abuse from the system, and, in the long term, he said there would need to be a focus on preventive care. "The public can't get [an insurance] card anymore and just do what they want to do--smoke, drink excessively, don't wear a seat belt, don't wear a helmet," he said.
Source: The Hill coverage of 2012 Arizona Senate debates Oct 10, 2012

David Ruben: Stop restricting how doctors can prescribe pain medication

Ruben practices psychiatry & pain management. He told the crowd that he was at the forefront of the fight to change state laws that restrict how doctors can prescribe pain medication.

Ruben called the new federal health care law a "wonderful thing and a great accomplishment of the Obama administration." He advocated for a health care system that would create incentives for people to take care of themselves as well as provide them with the medical coverage they needed.

Source: Kingman Daily Miner on 2012 Arizona Senate debate May 24, 2012

Richard Carmona: Helped open the first trauma center in southern Arizona

Carmona grew up in Harlem, dropped out of high school, joined the Green Berets and served in Vietnam, where he became a battlefield medic. He graduated from the University of California, San Francisco's medical school. He was recruited by the University of Arizona to help open the first trauma center in southern Arizona. While serving as chief of staff at the medical center, Carmona was also a reserve deputy and a commander of the county SWAT team.
Source: Kingman Daily Miner on 2012 Arizona Senate debate May 24, 2012

Richard Carmona: Indignity of being poor patient in hospital sensitizes me

"You know, having walked in those shoes of being hungry and being homeless--the indignities of not getting health care, or waiting in the public hospital, hoping somebody will care for you; going to sleep with a toothache because you can't go to the dentist," he said. "I think it was, in retrospect, almost a gift of experience to me that sensitized me to the complexity of the world that we inherit today."
Source: Washington Post coverage of 2012 Arizona Senate debate May 3, 2012

Jeff Flake: ObamaCare is a heavy anchor to drag around

Q: What are going to be the big issues in the race come November?

A: Obamacare. That's going to be big. For any supporter of Obamacare, that's a heavy anchor to drag around. A really heavy anchor. But then, just overall, debt and deficit; spending; and taxes and regulation. For Richard Carmona, having the president's support, that's nothing I would want to tout very loudly. I would welcome the president to come here and campaign with my opponent.

Source: Washington Post "Ten Questions" 2012 Arizona Senate debate May 2, 2012

  • The above quotations are from 2012 Arizona Senate debates in primary and general election.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Richard Carmona on Health Care.
  • Click here for more quotes by Jeff Flake on Health Care.
Candidates and political leaders on Health Care:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018