Lingle, Hirono debate prescription relief
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Republican gubernatorial nominee Linda Lingle and Democratic candidate Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono argued over how to reduce the cost of prescription drugs at an AARP forum yesterday.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Both pledged their commitment to seniors' issues before a crowd of about 250 AARP members and others in their first joint public appearance since the primary election. The forum, held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, was intended to inform older voters about where the candidates stand on issues such as prescription drugs, long-term care and care-home inspections.
For the first time since winning their respective primary races, gubernatorial candidates Mazie Hirono, left, and Linda Lingle appeared together at a forum sponsored by the Hawai'i chapter of the AARP at the Hilton Hawaiian Village yesterday. Mae Mendelson, AARP Hawai'i president, was also there.
With 140,000 Hawai'i members, AARP is working to raise awareness about issues that concern older voters, who typically vote in higher numbers than any other age group.
Hirono praised prescription drug bills that passed the Legislature this year and said she would work to find other solutions, such as joining a multi-state buying arrangement that could further lower drug costs.
But Lingle criticized the bills, saying they will take too long to be implemented, and that the state should instead use the private sector to negotiate lower drug costs. She suggested approaching HMSA and Kaiser to purchase drugs on behalf of the uninsured and to allow major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Costco to negotiate lower drug costs.
"The problem with these bills and this kind of legislation is they try to make people feel good at the moment but in fact it does nothing to help the problem," Lingle said. "I want to help now. Seniors need help now."
Hirono noted that the AARP, a nonprofit organization for people age 50 and older, was heavily involved in passing the prescription bills that Lingle was against.
"Your organization was a prime mover in getting this legislation passed," Hirono said. "And the fact that the pharmaceutical companies fought this tooth and nail says to me that this is the very kind of law that we need to lower prescription drugs — the kind of law that's going to be effective."
Lingle said the people who worked for the bills were well-intentioned but that the bills "will not help you now, and we need to have help now."
The prescription-drug bills would reduce costs for the uninsured and needy and are among the consumer-related legislation that Democrats are touting this election season.
The Hawai'i Rx law, modeled after a Maine law, would create a purchasing pool to negotiate discounts on prescription drugs for more than 220,000 Hawai'i residents who have no prescription-drug coverage. The program would begin in January 2005. Another prescription-drug program to help residents with incomes below triple the national poverty level could kick in by early next year.
An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court filed by the pharmaceutical industry has put the Maine program on hold. Meanwhile, the Bush administration has issued a legal opinion in support of the Maine law.
Hirono later said the high court will be making a decision on the Maine program by this year.
AARP state director Greg Marchildon, who was involved in the prescription-drug bills, said the AARP disagreed with Lingle's solutions to lower drug costs and that those would help only a handful of people.
Lingle and Hirono agreed on other issues. They both said they support "do not call" lists that consumers can place their names on to avoid telemarketing calls. They both also said that while adult residential care homes provide an essential community service, the state must have the authority to conduct unannounced inspections of the homes.
As for long-term care, Hirono said she would put more resources in home- and community-based care to enable the elderly to remain independent in their homes as long as possible. She also said she is opposed to taxing residents to fund long-term-care insurance, which first lady Vicky Cayetano and others advocated for this year.
"What we need to do is look for other ways and I make a commitment to do that," she said.
Lingle said she would grant tax credits to those who care for their family members in their own home and for people who purchase long-term-care insurance.
"The one thing that would be a disaster for the elderly in our state is any sort of state-run system of long-term care because the state would never resist the temptation to tap into that fund and use that money (for other purposes)," Lingle said.
When asked how government could help a grandparent raising grandchildren on a fixed income, Lingle said government could provide affordable housing for seniors who cannot afford market rent.
On the subject of domestic abuse of older women, Hirono said she would expand an existing elder abuse program on O'ahu to all islands and provide more education and increase awareness about the issue in the community.
