AUGUSTA — Nine candidates running for governor shared their ideas for improving health care at a Wednesday forum.
The candidates covered topics including how they would support community health centers and address the high cost of prescription drugs. Former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, a Democrat, said she’s concerned about cuts in federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding.
“We are the richest country in the world and yet we have some of the worst health outcomes,” Pingree said. “You need a governor who knows how to get things done and make a difference.”
Pingree was joined by fellow Democrats Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Senate President Troy Jackson and Dr. Nirav Shah.
The only Republican who attended the forum, Jonathan Bush, said he favors a limited role for government in providing health care. Bush is a former ambulance driver and CEO of AthenaHealth, a health care technology company.
“When I tell you things you don’t want to hear, please understand it is not from a position of neglect or disinterest,” Bush said. “It is from a deep and passionate desire to see the state get back on its feet.”
The forum, sponsored by the Maine Primary Care Association, also gave independents John Glowa, Rep. Ed Crockett, Sen. Rick Bennett and Derek Levasseur an opportunity to share their ideas.
Those running as independents have until June 1 to turn in their signatures to run in the November election.
Earlier this week, 13 candidates for governor — eight Republicans and five Democrats — qualified for the June primary ballots.
At the Wednesday forum, Bellows said she wants to support local health care providers by investing in things like housing and helping them recruit the doctors and nurses they need.
“I think the next governor needs to be the recruiter in chief for the state,” she said. “Additionally, we have to make Maine a place that young people can stay and live and work and prosper.”
Jackson said he’s spent years in the state Senate working to pass bills to support local health care centers and lower prescription drug prices.
“This is something that I believe in and I’ve sponsored all these bills because I believe in health care,” he said. “I’ve fought for this industry because I know how important it is to people across the state.”
Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said he supports a bill now pending in the Legislature that seeks to reduce the prevalence of pharmacy deserts for those in rural areas.
“Access to care doesn’t end at the doctor’s office,” he said. “If you can’t access your medications then you really don’t have access to care.”
Bennett, a former Republican, said he’s running as an independent because he finds the parties increasingly unwilling to work together.
“I think we can all agree the health care system is broken,” he said. “It costs too much, it delivers too little and too many people are feeling left out.”
Crockett, who’s from Portland, emphasized the importance of improving access to health care for those who don’t live in big cities.
“Telehealth is going to be very critical as we move forward,” he said. “It’s going to be critical that we meet the people where they are.”
Glowa, a retired state worker, said he’s benefitted from mental health counseling and wants to help remove the stigma of talking about mental illness.
“I will be a strong advocate for those with mental health issues and the care provided by Maine’s very necessary and locally accessible community health centers,” he said.
Levasseur, a home builder, said several times that he’s not an expert in the field of health care and that he would rely on many of the health professionals in the room for ideas about how to improve the system.
“I really think what we need is clear insight, someone who maybe doesn’t have all the knowledge in the world in these fields but will listen to you,” he said.