10th Cong. District: Schneider, Bennett debate health care, Trump actions
Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider and his Republican challenger, Doug Bennett, have contrasting views on issues surrounding climate change, international trade and health care. But they did agree on one resounding point: To be effective, members of Congress need to reach across the aisle and create bipartisan legislation.
The two candidates vying for Illinois' 10th Congressional district, both Deerfield residents, participated in what is expected to be their only public forum Sunday at Deerfield High School. The event was co-hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Union League Club of Chicago.
When it comes to health care, Schneider believes the Affordable Care Act, though not perfect, was a positive step toward ensuring everyone gets the quality coverage they need. But Bennett said the reforms enacted during the Obama administration bent the cost scale in a way that made them unsuccessful.
"We need (policies that) work with the economic realities of the world, not against them," said Bennett, a computer consultant.
He agreed the federal government should have a role in helping people get the care they need at a reasonable price. That includes finding new ways to handle pre-existing conditions so premiums don't continue "spiraling upward," he said.
Schneider, who is seeking his third term in Congress, said too much of the health care system is based on a fee-for-service model. He thinks greater investment should be made in innovation, which could help bring down the cost of prescription drugs.
"We should all be striving to make sure that everyone in this country has quality affordable health care where they need it, when they need it," Schneider said.
The two candidates also disagreed on President Donald Trump's actions concerning climate change and international trade.
Bennett supported Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. He said the global climate change plan was flawed in that it unfairly placed restrictions on the U.S., but did no such thing for China or India.
Schneider, however, condemned the move and said the U.S. should be a leader in addressing climate change. "It's not a future threat. It's a present danger to us today," he said.
Though he'd prefer free trade, Bennett said he also understood and commended Trump's decision to impose billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. But Schneider said trade policies should protect America's intellectual property, and the tariffs are only hurting the country's companies and workers.
Both candidates said they favored immigration reform, as well as "common-sense" gun control laws. They also agreed lawmakers need to find solutions for high college tuition costs and a looming student debt crisis.
Though they had different approaches for tackling each issue, Schneider and Bennett said effective problem solving starts with bridging the gap between political parties.