2014 Iowa Senate Debates: on Health Care


Bruce Braley: Repealing ObamaCare would deprive millions of insurance

The final debate between Iowa's two Senate combatants was shot through with never-ending claims and counterclaims: "You stated just a few years back that you would not change a thing about ObamaCare, and yet today you're saying, 'Oops, yeah, we do need to make some changes to the bill,' " Republican Joni Ernst scolded Democrat Bruce Braley. "You said you read every page of this bill. You tabbed it, you highlighted it. So either you didn't understand what was in the bill or you were misleading Iowans, and I don't know which one is worse."

Braley shot back: "The reality is that when you pass a huge change in how health is delivered to millions of Americans, there are bound to be some things you have to deal with along the way. That's what we've done. Repealing the entire bill, and taking health care away from millions of Americans, and adding costs--premiums will go up 225 percent in Iowa if you eliminate what's in place right now."

Source: Des Moines Register on 2014 Iowa Senate debate Oct 17, 2014

Joni Ernst: ObamaCare is egregious overreach of federal government

Question topic: It is the government's responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.

Ernst: Strongly Disagree

Question topic: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) should be repealed by Congress.

Ernst: Strongly Agree. Affordable Care Act: A clearly egregious overreach of federal government.

Question topic: Briefly list political or legislative issues of most concern to you.

Ernst: Affordable Care Act- A clearly egregious overreach of federal government.

Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Iowa Senate race Sep 30, 2014

Joni Ernst: FactCheck: False claim that ObamaCare cut Medicare benefits

Braley would keep and fix the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Ernst would repeal it.

Ernst's low point was "stubbornly pushing the claim that ObamaCare cut Medicare benefits, an argument repeatedly debunked by nonpartisan fact checkers, and her confusion on a question about current 'job-killing' regulations, where she cited cap-and-trade, which is not law," a pundit said.

Source: Des Moines Register on 2014 Iowa Senate debate Sep 29, 2014

Bruce Braley: Vehemently opposes tort reform: don't take away right to sue

Braley, a former trial lawyer, defended his vehement opposition to tort reform. "When people are making radical proposals to take away your rights," he said, "you need to think about, 'What's that going to mean when something happens to me?'" The moderator asked if he doesn't think defensive medicine accounts for higher health care costs because doctors are trying to avoid lawsuits. Braley said "a host of different factors" contribute to rising costs.
Source: Politico.com e-zine on 2014 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2014

Bruce Braley: ObamaCare should be fixed and improved, not repealed

Ernst came prepared to talk about many of the major criticisms she and her allies have leveled at Braley, including his support of ObamaCare, which Ernst said is costly and harmful. "Every Iowan deserves access to affordable healthcare. But ObamaCare is not the answer in this case," Ernst said at the Sunday debate. "We are seeing it cost jobs," she said, pointing to recent layoffs of insurance workers and physicians. "It's also an increased tax on Iowans and Americans, $1.2 trillion."

Braley admitted that ObamaCare, formally the Affordable Care Act, was not perfect as passed. But he used the topic as an opportunity to show that he can work on solutions in a bipartisan way. "I think that the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed and improved," he said. "Sen. Ernst would repeal it and continue to obstruct efforts to try to improve it."

Source: The Hill e-zine on 2014 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2014

Doug Butzier: Opposes ObamaCare

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Expand ObamaCare"?

A: Absolutely not.

Source: E-mail interview: 2014 Iowa Senate race with OnTheIssues.org Sep 17, 2014

Sam Clovis: 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.

Clovis: Strongly Disagree

Question topic: The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) should be repealed by Congress.

Clovis: Strongly Agree

Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Iowa Senate race Jul 2, 2014

Bruce Braley: AdWatch: Targeted by RNC robocalls for support of ObamaCare

Rep. Bruce Braley is among 11 Democrats targeted by the Republican National Committee for their support of ObamaCare. The RNC is using robocalls and posting on Facebook to urge people to call their representatives and ask "why they supported President Obama's lie that people could keep their healthcare plans under ObamaCare."

The targets besides Braley are Rep. Gary Peters (MI), Sens. Mark Warner (VA), Mark Begich (AK), Dick Durbin (IL), Kay Hagan (NC), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Mark Pryor (AR), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Mark Udall (CO). The robocall script reads:

"President Obama and the Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan under ObamaCare. Now we know [SENATOR] actually VOTED to make it more difficult. Call [SENATOR] at (XXX)-XXX-XXX & ask why [he/she] lied."

The robocalls are a response to Democrats launching the "GOP Shutdown Watch" campaign, highlighting Republican senate candidates who supported the partial federal government shutdown.

Source: MI Daily Tribune AdWatch: 2014 Iowa Senate debate Nov 5, 2013

Joni Ernst: Voted against Medicaid expansion in Iowa

Ernst scored in response to the first question, which was about ObamaCare. She pointed out that she was the only one on the stage who has actually stood up against ObamaCare, because she voted against Medicaid expansion in Iowa.
Source: Kevin Hall in Iowa Republican on 2014 Iowa Senate debate Oct 24, 2013

Sam Clovis: Keep ObamaCare rule: kids can stay on parent's plan until 26

Sam Clovis said he wants to be a U.S. senator so he can stand with Utah's Mike Lee and Texas' Ted Cruz, both considered among the chamber's most hard-core conservatives.

Clovis praised two senators, Lee and Cruz, who fueled the movement to use the shutdown as leverage to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare. Clovis said he'd keep the pieces that allow adult children to stay on a parent's policy until age 26, and the pieces related to high-risk and pre-existing conditions. But he said it's an immoral law because it adds $150 billion a year in national debt.

"I've read the bill, and I challenge anyone else in this building to say they've read the bill. And I've read every word of it," Clovis said.

Source: Indianapolis Star on 2014 Iowa Senate race Oct 24, 2013

  • The above quotations are from 2014 Iowa Senate Debates.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Matt Whitaker on Health Care.
  • Click here for more quotes by Joni Ernst 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 06, 2018