BENTONVILLE -- The federal government will give ground on federal mandates if pushed, and the state should take more advantage of that, both Republican candidates for governor said Tuesday.
Rivals Curtis Coleman and Asa Hutchinson both attended a forum hosted Tuesday by the Republican Women of Bentonville, held in the Arvest Community Room in downtown Bentonville. At least 100 people attended the event. The winner of the May 20 primary will face Democratic opposition in November.
Arkansas' U.S. House delegation are all Republicans now, said candidate Asa Hutchinson. "They have the same conservative philosophy we do," he said. "We can work with them." The state and its congressional delegation can push back on federal mandates in all areas, including the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare," he said.
"This administration has shown, with the ACA and other programs, a willingness to retreat on mandates that are not working well or are politically unpalatable," Hutchinson said.
Coleman said the state should join together with like-minded governors and legislators in other states and form a broader coalition in resisting and forcing changes to federal mandates. He said such a coalition would be an "irresistible political and legal force."
Coleman also said the state should repeal the private option health care plan, which the state adopted rather than a expansion of Medicaid. He said the private option amounted to a Medicaid expansion anyway. Coleman called the measure an expensive government program that drags upon the economy. It also increases dependence on the government that further burdens business, he said. "The faster Arkansas can escape from a long-term poverty trap, the better," he said.
Hutchinson said the state should evaluate the private option and see what changes are needed. "Between now and next January, what else is going to change?" he asked. "What's going to change in the next three years? We know it's helping our rural hospitals, but we need to probe into the details. We also need to ask for more waivers, such as asset tests for those entering the private options."
If the state repealed private option, it could take health insurance away from the working poor while leaving federal subsidies in place for better-off households, Hutchinson said. "I wish Congress would repeal Obamacare," Hutchinson said. Until then, it's hard to change or reject one aspect without creating problems in other areas, he said.
Coleman also called Common Core curriculum standards for schools the "Obamacare of education," and advocated greater local control over education. Hutchinson also supported local control but added school districts should all be held accountable, with high standards to meet. Local schools should have freedom to administers themselves but failing districts should be held accountable, he said. Coleman said he supported school choice by parents, who would leave schools if they fail.
Hutchinson reminded the audience that he took out the first mortgage for a home from the same bank building in which the forum was held. "My heart and soul are in Northwest Arkansas," he said. He appealed to Coleman supporters to support him if he prevails in the primary.
Coleman cited his business background, saying the state needs a governor sensitive to business issues and committed to resisting the increasing power of the federal government.
NW News on 04/30/2014