Candidates’ positions reflect those of parties at national level
By: Jennifer Potash
While Democratic Rep. Rush Holt and his Republican opponent Dick Zimmer agree on a number of social issues, including safeguarding a woman’s right to choose an abortion, the two men disagree on funding of social programs, in particular the future of Social Security.
Mr. Zimmer, an attorney from Delaware Township, represented the 12th Congressional District from 1992 to 1996, when he gave up the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Rep. Holt, a physicist from Hopewell Township, is completing his freshman term in Congress.
On shoring up Social Security, the candidates’ views largely conform to their respective party positions.
Mr. Zimmer said he favors a proposal to allow younger workers to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes in individual retirement accounts invested in government-approved mutual funds in exchange for lower guaranteed benefits from the program.
Rep. Holt opposes that plan, claiming it could create a two-tier system – one for the financially savvy and another for those less well-versed in the stock and equities markets. Rep. Holt, who is a member of the House Budget Committee’s Social Security Task Force, said he supports putting the Social Security surplus in a lockbox and not using it for any new programs until the retirement program is solvent.
Mr. Zimmer has criticized Rep. Holt for supporting proposals that use some of the Social Security surplus for other purposes.
Both Mr. Zimmer and Rep. Holt support adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, but differ on how to implement the program.
"I believe we should extend Medicare to cover prescription drugs but we can do so in a way that does not result in federal price controlling of the pharmaceuticals," Mr. Zimmer said.
A program modeled after the one used by federal employees would allow those enrolled to pick the plan that best meets their needs, Mr. Zimmer said. Overall that large pool of people will get lower pharmaceutical prices that the carrier – such as a private insurance company – negotiates, Mr. Zimmer said.
Rep. Holt backs a voluntary and universal prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. He opposed legislation in the House for a prescription drug benefit that provided money to the insurance companies instead of to senior citizens.
If seniors citizens have had difficulty with HMOs with unreliable services and high premiums, it would be problematic to follow that model with regard to a prescription drug benefit, Rep. Holt said.
"Health care that you can’t count on is not health care at all," Rep. Holt said.
Both Rep. Holt and Mr. Zimmer support the right of an HMO patient to sue the organization when denial of medical care has caused harm.
Rep. Holt has co-sponsored legislation to allow HMO patients to appeal to an outside panel when the health plans deny patients care.
"Patients deserve to be in control of their own medical destiny," he said.
Like Rep. Holt, Mr. Zimmer backs a "Patient’s Bill of Rights" but cautions, "I think we’ve got to be careful not to impose so many mandates on the health care system that we price people with limited resources out of the market."
The 12th Congressional District is a key battleground as the Republicans seek to maintain a slim majority in the House, while Democrats push to regain control. The 12th Congressional District consists of Hunterdon County and portions of Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties.