Government
It's doctor vs. doctor in race to represent Florida in U.S. House
■ The incumbent, an internist, is being challenged by a family physician from the opposite end of the political spectrum.
By Doug Trapp — Posted Jan. 14, 2008
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Washington -- The race for Florida's 15th Congressional District is adding new meaning to the term "physician choice."
Rep. Dave Weldon, MD (R, Fla.), an internist running for his seventh term in the district, located southeast of Orlando, is being challenged by political newcomer and Democrat Stephen Blythe, DO. A family physician, Dr. Blythe admits he faces an uphill battle in the conservative-leaning area.
Dr. Weldon is supported by the Florida Medical Assn. and the Brevard County Medical Society.
It's unclear when two physicians last opposed each other for a seat in Congress. But with only 10 physicians in the House and two in the Senate, it's certainly a rare event.
These two doctors stand far apart on many of their political views, including those on health care, which polls show is an issue of high concern for voters these days. For example, to reduce the number of uninsured, Dr. Weldon would use tax credits to help low-income people pay for private coverage. Dr. Blythe favors a Medicare-for-everyone single-payer health system and is a member of Physicians for a National Health Program.
Although both physicians went to medical school near the Canadian border, they have very different opinions about the pluses and minuses of a Canadian-style health care system.
Dr. Weldon, who attended the Buffalo School of Medicine in New York, doesn't believe the government can provide care as well as the private sector. A single-payer system would lead to lower quality of care and waiting lists to see physicians, he said.
"We need to reinvigorate the health insurance market. We don't need more government running and intruding in health care delivery," Dr. Weldon said. Refundable tax credits, perhaps up to $5,000, for low-income individuals would help them buy private health insurance, he said.
Dr. Weldon, a member of a Republican political caucus that's writing a health reform plan, said it's very difficult to adopt major health system changes in Congress these days. "The potential in this political environment to institute radical reform is pretty remote," he said. It's more likely reform will happen incrementally.
Still, Dr. Weldon would like to end Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program and instead provide block grants to the states so they can create their own health programs.
Dr. Blythe went to medical school in Portland, Maine, and practiced for six years in Lubec, a small fishing village in northeast Maine, on the Canadian border. A bridge connects Lubec to Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada. Because the next-nearest physician was 75 miles away, Dr. Blythe treated Canadian patients who lived on the island. The Canadian government paid him on a fee -for-service basis.
Dr. Blythe said that he didn't see Canadian people having the problems accessing health care that Americans sometimes do. The Canadian single-payer system provides all residents with at least basic care. "Health care is a right. It's a fundamental right that shouldn't be denied to American citizens," he said.
If a single-payer model cannot be achieved here, Dr. Blythe would like to see reform of the existing system so there's true competition and choice. For example, while he can shop around for lower-cost imaging, such as CT scans, patients don't know how to find the best values in health care. This keeps medical costs higher than they should be and also makes health insurance more expensive, he said.
Medicare a key topic
Medicare is a big issue in the district, where 20% of the residents are older than 65, compared with a national average of 12%, according to Census Bureau estimates.
Dr. Weldon said he favors changing Medicare into a defined-contribution program.
Dr. Blythe said Congress should allow Medicare to negotiate Part D drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. He also would like to see Medicare private health plans' subsidies ended.
Dr. Weldon is against Medicare prescription drug price controls and said Dr. Blythe's proposal is just the Democrats' way of introducing them.
He also opposes bringing Medicare private health plan payments down to the level spent on beneficiaries in the program's fee-for-service system. Nearly all of these health plans are subsidized appropriately because they provide extra benefits not found in traditional Medicare, he said.
Democrats have tough time
A hitherto unknown Democrat like Dr. Blythe will find it hard to do well in the 15th District, where Dr. Weldon hasn't been seriously challenged in the last two elections, said Aubrey Jewett, PhD, associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida.
"Any Democrat would have their work really cut out for them," Dr. Jewett said.
Therefore, Dr. Blythe would need to receive significant support among Republican or independent voters to win the seat. In 2006, 42.6% of district voters were registered Republicans, 35.5% were registered Democrats, 18.3% were unaffiliated and 3.6% registered with third parties, according to the Florida Dept. of State. In 2004, President Bush received 57% of the district's votes.
As the incumbent, Dr. Weldon has gained a massive fundraising advantage. He had $454,000 in his campaign fund as of Sept. 30, while Dr. Blythe had just $2,245. The challenger said he plans to run a grass-roots campaign using the Internet, e-mail, phone calls and personal canvassing.
"We'll be doing a lot of things that don't cost a lot of money," Dr. Blythe said. "But I think we can still give him a run for the money."
Despite the advantages he enjoys, Dr. Weldon said he won't slacken in his re-election drive. "I'm going to take him seriously and raise money and prepare for the campaign."
Dr. Blythe said Dr. Weldon is too conservative for Florida's 15th District, as evidenced by his support for abstinence-based sex education, among other issues. However, Dr. Weldon said the district is religiously conservative and pro-life.