State of South Dakota secondary Archives: on Health Care
Billie Sutton:
Look for ways to get health care coverage to all citizens
Q: Meaningful health care, what does that mean to you? Sutton: That means that we need to get people health care access at the right place, at the right time, at the right cost. Too many people don't have access to health care.
You can always go to the emergency room to get health care. But that's usually when it's too late. A lot of people are losing their lives because we don't have coverage for a lot of those folks. And so that's something that I'm interested in.
Source: SDPB.org on 2018 South Dakota Gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2018
Billie Sutton:
Our aging veterans will continue receiving high quality care
In 2016, a newly-constructed, 100-bed Michael J. Fitzmaurice Veterans Home opened in Hot Springs to better serve the diverse and changing needs of South Dakota veterans by providing both skilled and unskilled levels of care. Today, residents of the
Home enjoys private rooms and all the social and quality-of-life amenities of a modern nursing facility. South Dakota's aging veterans will continue to receive the high level of quality care they need and deserve under the Sutton Administration.
Source: 2021 South Dakota Governor campaign website SuttonForSD.com
Nov 3, 2021
Brian Bengs:
Public health shouldn't be treated as a political football
Brian Bengs said he, like many people, is burned out with COVID-19. However, Bengs said the pandemic isn't done yet and he'd only support allowing more discretion with COVID-related mandates. Bengs said he'd follow the science
and pointed to experts who study diseases and viruses at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The biggest lesson we should take away is that public health is not a political football and it shouldn't be treated that way," Bengs said.
Source: Keloland Media Group on 2022 South Dakota Senate race
Feb 16, 2022
Brian Bengs:
Opposes Republican plans to kill off Affordable Care Act
If the animosity between Trump and Thune matters in the election, it's probably not enough to be decisive. And Bengs isn't counting on it. He thinks he has other issues to exploit, including Thune's position on the
Affordable Care Act. "The Republicans are talking about killing off the Affordable Care Act if they come back in power," Bengs says.
Source: S.D. Public Broadcasting on 2022 South Dakota Senate race
Mar 17, 2022
Daniel Ahlers:
System should be affordable, innovative, free enterprise
The health of South Dakotans is critical to the well-being of our state. Investing in preventative care, today, will reduce our health care costs in the future. People should have access to quality health care regardless of geography or
financial means. In Washington, I will work to create a healthcare system that is affordable, promotes innovation and respects our free enterprise system.
Source: 2020 South Dakota Senate campaign website DanAhlers.com
Dec 25, 2019
Dennis Daugaard:
Add work requirements to Medicaid
I have asked our state Department of Social Services to pursue a waiver so our state can require people who receive Medicaid to work, if they are able. I propose to pilot the new requirement in Minnehaha and Pennington counties, where
there is the greatest availability of employment and of training resources. We will use the same services that we already require for those on unemployment, to help participants find jobs.
Source: 2018 South Dakota State of the State address
Jan 9, 2018
Gordon Howie:
Repeal ObamaCare; it's not a government responsibility
Question topic: It is the government's responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.Howie: Strongly Disagree
Question topic: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) should be repealed by Congress.
Howie: Strongly Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 South Dakota Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
Jamie R. Smith:
Expanding Medicaid crucial to our rural communities
Expanding Medicaid in South Dakota is crucial for protecting our rural communities and essential workers.
It will allow thousands to stay insured, get access to medication, and see a doctor.
Source: 2022 South Dakota Governor campaign website SmithForGov.org
Aug 14, 2022
Jay Williams:
Health care is a basic human right
Healthcare is a basic human right. The Affordable Care Act has brought healthcare to millions of Americans, but Sen. Thune is working hard to take that away, without a plan to replace it. Later this year, South Dakota is expected to expand
Medicaid, bringing healthcare to 55,000 South Dakotans. This is possible because of federal funds provided through the Affordable Care Act. Jay will work to ensure that all South Dakotans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.
Source: 2016 South Dakota Senate campaign web JayWilliams2016.org
Apr 1, 2016
Kristi Noem:
Make pandemic rules for telehealth permanent
Another tool we greatly expanded access to is telehealth. People have used tech services like these more than 70,000 times in South Dakota's Medicaid program alone. This year, I'm going to ask that you support legislation to make these
flexibilities permanent. In 2021, we should build on telehealth advancements and continue to find ways to remove government red tape in health care.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2021
Kristi Noem:
COVID: vaccine passports are oppressive and un-American
Vaccine passports are un-American, according to Gov. Kristi Noem. It's "one of the most un-American ideas in our nation's history," read a tweet posted on Noem's personal account. This is separate from her official governor account on the social media
website. "We as Americans should oppose this oppression." She made it clear she doesn't support making vaccination a requirement to get access to certain events, flights and businesses, calling the idea oppressive and at odds with American values.
Source: KOTA-TV ABC-3 on 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial race
Mar 29, 2021
Kristi Noem:
Unvaccinated Americans are still Americans
The COVID vaccination should be a choice. And we should reject the efforts that we're seeing in other parts of the country to divide us into two classes: vaccinated and unvaccinated. Unvaccinated Americans are still Americans. We live in a free
country--free to make our own decisions. The government does not get to make them for us. I am bringing legislation to protect the right to a medical or religious exemption from COVID vaccines. We will also recognize natural immunity.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to South Dakota legislature
Jan 11, 2022
Larry Pressler:
Keep ObamaCare in place; we need it
Independent Larry Pressler talked about the need to keep ObamaCare in place. "As a practical matter, we need it. Maybe not in Sioux Falls or Rapid City but out across this state for many of our people. A lot of our people who are minimum wage."
Pressler says his priority is restoring bi-partisanship to Washington. "So rather than repealing ObamaCare--impeaching Obama and all this stuff--I am going to try and work with him."
Source: KSFY/ABC News on 2014 South Dakota Senate debate
Aug 27, 2014
Mike Rounds:
Shut down ObamaCare but don't shut down government
Nearly every Republican candidate running for Senate in 2014 backs the GOP's push to use the threat of a government shutdown to defund ObamaCare--a sign of how popular they believe the plan is with conservative primary voters. Those supporting the GOP
strategy include N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis (R), and Alaska Tea Party candidate Joe Miller (R).Two notable exceptions are former S.D. Gov. Mike Rounds (R) and Alaska Lieutenant Gov. Mead Treadwell (R), who have not fully embraced the efforts.
Rounds applauded the House bill, but he didn't go as far as saying he'd be willing to have the government shut down in order to force the issue.
"I support the House CR--keep government running and shut down
ObamaCare," he said. "We don't know what (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid will do to the CR on the Senate side, but it's a fight worth having. This is a prime example of the importance of Republicans recapturing the Senate in 2014."
Source: The Hill on 2014 South Dakota Senate debate
Sep 22, 2013
Rick Weiland:
Push for public option to expand ObamaCare
Weiland is certainly no centrist like Heidi Heitkamp (ND). He's the rare critic of ObamaCare who says it doesn't go far enough; he opposes the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that remains popular with conservatives.A campaign adviser said Weiland
is framing his push for a public option as essentially support for allowing the public to buy into Medicare, which is popular with seniors, and his opposition to Keystone XL is appealing to farmers & ranchers who know it could hurt their water supply.
Source: The Hill blog on 2014 South Dakota Senate race
Mar 25, 2014
Rick Weiland:
Keep parts of ObamaCare that work, and add Medicare option
Q: What are the top issues? A: I really think people feel that their government's no longer on their side. And we'll talk a lot about health care and what's wrong with the Affordable Care Act. I think there needs to be a Medicare choice option, to get
people an opportunity if they want to buy into Medicare versus having to buy into private insurance.
Q: What kind of reaction do you get in those communities when you tell them you support ObamaCare and expanding Medicare?
A: What I say is that the
Affordable Care Act was co-opted by big insurance companies and big drug companies and we didn't get a public option. What I like are the advancements in health care delivery: covering preexisting conditions, eliminating lifetime caps; and coverage up to
26 years old on the parent's plan. Somebody asked me today, 'Would you repeal ObamaCare?' I would repeal what's not working. I would certainly keep what is working. And what I would add to it is this Medicare choice option.
Source: Rapid City Journal on 2014 South Dakota Senate race
Mar 10, 2014
Rick Weiland:
Give Medicare recipients a choice of private insurance
Q: How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today's seniors and future retirees from rising health costs?
A: "The Medicare Choice Act will give all Americans a choice between Medicare, private insurance, or a combination of both."
If elected, Weiland pledges to write, introduce, and fight hard to enact a new health care law that will give every American a choice between buying into Medicare, keeping his or her private insurance, or a combination of both. "The Medicare Choice Act,
by simply allowing people to choose what they want, will make our entire health care delivery system cheaper, more responsive to the needs of patients and health care providers, and less responsive to the demands of either big money insurance giants."
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2014 South Dakota Senate race
Aug 31, 2014
Scyller Borglum:
Oppose Medicare-for-all and replace ObamaCare
If elected to the U.S. Senate, her priorities include pushing big ideas forward while limiting government, opposing Medicare for all and replacing the Affordable Care with a plan that she said she'll announce during her candidacy,
and supporting a "commonsense" approach to immigration and President Donald Trump's construction of a wall on the southern U.S. border.
Source: Sioux Falls Argus Leader on 2020 South Dakota Senate race
Jul 1, 2019
Scyller Borglum:
Against Medicare for All; replace ObamaCare
If elected to the U.S. Senate, her priorities include pushing big ideas forward while limiting government and opposing Medicare for all and replacing the
Affordable Care with a plan that she said she'll announce during her candidacy.
Source: Sioux Falls Argus Leader on 2020 South Dakota Senate race
Jul 1, 2019
Scyller Borglum:
Vote against Medicare for all and "other socialist plans"
I am committed to surrounding myself with experts in healthcare, every day citizens, and other stakeholders to make sure we all have access to the healthcare we need, and are able to afford it.- Replace ObamaCare
- Vote against Medicare for all &
other socialist plans
- Expand access to veterans & rural communities
- Promote preventative medicine to be proactive (less expensive) vs reactive (more expensive)
- Reduce prescription costs
- Mandate & expand provider cost transparency
Source: 2020 South Dakota Senate website BorglumForSenate.rocks
Feb 4, 2020
Steven Haugaard:
Never compel citizens to receive medical treatments
The government should never be in a position to demand citizens do anything other than refrain from committing crimes. One's fundamental rights cannot be suspended or superseded by a healthcare crisis.
Citizens should never be compelled to receive medical treatments without their consent, or without recourse to a religious exemption or medical exemption.
Source: 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial website SteveHaugaard.com
Feb 22, 2022
William Janklow:
Re-pay med school tuition for doctors in needy areas
We're in the first year now of reimbursing school loans for doctors. Our program in unique. Rather than cutting tuition or loaning people money to go to med school, what we do is, for doctors who finish med school and their other training and then go out
to critically short, unmet communities that have health care needs, if they stay there for three years, we pay for the cost of their education. We pay their loans when they come due that they've taken out for the direct cost of their education.
Source: State-of-the-State Address to South Dakota House
Jan 9, 2001
William Janklow:
Fund newborn hearing-screening program
We have embarked on the newborn hearing-screening program that we talked to the Legislature about last year. We went out and purchased devices for nine hospitals that felt they couldn't afford to buy them.
A year ago, 60%of all the children born in this state by the age of three months had had those hearing exams. Today, I can report to you that by July 1 of this year, 95% of all the children born in South Dakota
will have the hearing exam by the time they are three months of age. There are about six out of every thousand that have serious hearing impairments. When they discover them at that age,
there are phenomenal things that can be done in terms of early childhood intervention and in terms of assisting children to get started off on the right foot in life with various types of hearing maladies that they may have.
Source: State-of-the-State Address to South Dakota House
Jan 9, 2001
William Janklow:
Give nicotine patches free to anyone who asks
I am asking that the Legislature authorize us, utilizing the tobacco monies, to give free tobacco patches to anybody in South Dakota who is smoking and wants to quit. I want to do it without being a hypocrite, so I'd just like to say publicly [that] no
human being smoked more than I did, in more places than I did, legally and illegally. That's what addiction will do. I'm very fortunate in that medical science and prayer and a lot of effort by my family were able to fix the problems that I had,
but not everybody will be as fortunate as I was. Patches are a proven way to help some people do it. Through school nurses and through the extension service and through the nursing homes and through the various hospitals in this state and even the
various pharmacists, it would be very, very simple for us to set up very quickly a network that would assist in the distribution of these, for all practical purposes, at very little cost other than the cost of the bulk acquisition of these patches.
Source: State-of-the-State Address to South Dakota House
Jan 9, 2001
Jamie R. Smith:
COVID face coverings keeps people healthy & businesses open
In regards to the pandemic, Smith said by doing little things like using face coverings, we can ensure that people stay healthy and keep businesses open. Smith said 3,000 people died in the state of South Dakota, and it's a larger number per capita than
surrounding states. Smith was not using COVID as a political football. He said in a pandemic, we need to work together and speak to doctors to make sure we can stay safe as a community.Defending her actions during the pandemic, Noem said, "I got up
every day thinking of you." She said she talked to health care professionals and listened to their advice.
[Libertarian nominee Tracey] Quint said shutting everything down caused mental health issues. However, contracting COVID caused physical issues.
Quint said allowing people to have a personal choice is something she believes in, and the government did not have the authority to impose precautionary actions on South Dakotans.
Source: KEVN Black Hills Fox on 2022 South Dakota Governor race
Oct 2, 2022
Kristi Noem:
Won't vote for Medicaid expansion; will implement if passed
Q: Expanding Medicaid is going to be on the ballot. Will you support that?NOEM: What that does is make sure that Medicaid expansion would cover able-bodied single individuals that are able to work. It also would include about an $80 million cost
to the state.
Q: Will you vote for it?
NOEM: I won't be voting for it myself personally because of the tax increases that would have to happen to pay for it. But if it is passed by the people, I certainly will implement it.
Source: CNN SOTU interviews on 2022 South Dakota Gubernatorial race
Jul 3, 2022
Kristi Noem:
No to Medicaid expansion; $80 million cost is too high
Noem does not support the expansion of Medicaid, saying it would cost the state $80 million. Noem said she has tried to increase telemedicine to decrease the cost of travel for those who live in rural communities and allow them to have better access to
healthcare. She said she has also worked to try and improve transparency with insurance companies, so people know what they will and will not cover. [Democratic nominee Jamie R. ]Smith said he is in favor of Medicaid expansion, so those in need would
have some relief if they were faced with a huge medical bill. Smith says it will not cost as much as Noem claims.
[Libertarian nominee Tracey] Quint said if the voters show they are for Medicaid expansion, then she would deliver.
Quint said she would shy away from adding to the state's expenses when it comes to expanding Medicaid but says there are ways the state can save money to fund Medicaid.
Source: KEVN Black Hills Fox on 2022 South Dakota Governor race
Oct 2, 2022
Kristi Noem:
Listen to healthcare professionals for COVID policy
In regards to the pandemic, Smith said by doing little things like using face coverings, we can ensure that people stay healthy and keep businesses open. Smith said 3,000 people died in the state of South Dakota, and it's a larger number per capita than
surrounding states. Smith was not using COVID as a political football. He said in a pandemic, we need to work together and speak to doctors to make sure we can stay safe as a community.Defending her actions during the pandemic, Noem said, "I got up
every day thinking of you." She said she talked to health care professionals and listened to their advice.
[Libertarian nominee Tracey] Quint said shutting everything down caused mental health issues. However, contracting COVID caused physical issues.
Quint said allowing people to have a personal choice is something she believes in, and the government did not have the authority to impose precautionary actions on South Dakotans.
Source: KEVN Black Hills Fox on 2022 South Dakota Governor race
Oct 2, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023