Foster, challenger Walter have different solutions to rising health care costs

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville and Republican challenger Jeff Walter of Elburn both believe health care costs are too high — but their solutions are different.

Foster and Walter are facing off in Illinois’ 11th District. They talked about medical expenses and other issues in questionnaires for the Daily Herald.

The candidates were asked to rate the state of health care in America and to share their feelings about the Affordable Care Act. They also were asked to opine on the concept of a single, government-run, national health insurance program, often called Medicare for All.

Foster, a former scientist seeking his eighth consecutive term, said the American health care system is great if you’re rich.

“Far too many families are crushed by the expenses imposed on them by our health care system, being forced to choose between filling their lifesaving prescriptions and putting food on the table,” said Foster, who has represented the 11th District since 2013 following a stretch as the lawmaker for the neighboring 14th.

He stands by his 2010 vote for the Affordable Care Act, even though its passage was one of the factors that led to his loss later that year and a Republican takeover of Congress.

“The ACA was very successful in reducing how many Americans are uninsured and getting the worst junk insurance plans off the market,” Foster said. “But we still have a long way to go.”

Foster, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, believes the country must move away from a health care system in which care access is tied to employers. He also wants to restore premium tax credits that expired last year and build on the Inflation Reduction Act by negotiating prescription drug prices as a way to bring those costs down.

Unlike many Republican politicians, Walter doesn’t want to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Elburn’s village president since 2017, Walter noted that the law expanded access to coverage and established protections that Americans value, “particularly for people with preexisting conditions.”

Congress should preserve what works and reform what does not, he said. Lawmakers should focus on affordability, competition, choice and reducing administrative costs, he said.

As for Medicare for All, Walter doesn’t support eliminating private insurance policies and forcing everyone into a single, government-run system.

“Americans should have more choices, not fewer,” he said.

Walter, who topped a field of four candidates in the GOP primary, said he backs greater price transparency, pharmacy benefit manager reform, prescription drug competition, expanded telehealth and responsible use of AI and technology.

“The goal should be straightforward: better health outcomes, lower costs, more competition and patients — not government or insurance companies — at the center of health care decisions,” Walter said.

The 11th District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.

rlissau@dailyherald.com