PORTLAND — Health care should be provided to all Maine citizens regardless of their ability to pay for it, Republican Gov. John R. McKernan and his Democratic gubernatorial challenger Joseph E. Brennan told a group of senior citizens Monday.
The Maine Council of Senior Citizens sponsored the forum, which drew the two major gubernatorial candidates together for the first time to answer questions about how to overhaul the current health care system.
Although both agreed the system needs to be changed, the candidates’ views on how to achieve that goal were markedly different.
“I support the creation of a universal health insurance program which will cover all Maine people regarless of age, income, or health status,” Brennan told the room of about 100 people. “Unfortunately, I can’t promise immediate action … because of the financial mess in Augusta,” Brennan said, referring to the state’s $210 million budget shortfall.
McKernan said the state’s goal “should be to provide universal access to basic health care for all American citizens.”
“But there is no way the taxpayers can afford rapidly rising costs and expand care to the millions who don’t have coverage,” he said.
The council, which supports national health insurance, asked the candidates what they would do to forestall the rapidly rising cost of health care, which has left 130,000 Mainers uninsured.
McKernan said the most important step might be to impose government-sanctioned limits on the amount patients are charged for services.
Brennan said a socialized health insurance system like Canada’s would achieve the goal of insurance for all Americans.
McKernan said the health care burden should be shared among state and federal governments and the private sector. He cited the need to increase home health care coverage for the elderly and terminally ill and to increase preventive long-term coverage through such steps as state funding of annual mammogram tests for women.
In addition to the gubernatorial candidates, Democratic senatorial candidate Neil Rolde and congressional candidates David Emery, a Republican, and Democrats Thomas Andrews and Patrick McGowan attended the forum.
Each guest was given five minutes to speak on the health care issue before being asked a series of questions. Candidates had two mintues to respond to each question.
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