BIOGRAPHY
The candidate's response will be posted as soon as it is received.
National Health Reform Implementation: In addition to expanding coverage through Medicaid, national health reform is expected to provide more than 17 million people with subsidies to purchase coverage through Exchanges. However, some people might still not be able to afford insurance. What measures, if any, would you support to help make health insurance affordable for families?
Childhood Obesity: More than one in six U.S children are obese, a rate that has tripled in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity is linked to a number of debilitating and expensive diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, several kinds of cancer, and other chronic conditions. What can be done, if anything, to help families and communities address this issue?
Children’s Budget: Representative Danny Davis and Senator Menendez have introduced the Children’s Budget Act (H.R. 3772/S. 3108), legislation that would require federal spending on children’s programs to be separately displayed and analyzed in the President’s budget, illustrating how the federal government allocates resources for children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children’s Budget and why?
Dental: Tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 6 in 10 American children. Yet many children and families, particularly those served by Medicaid and CHIP, are unable to access appropriate oral health care. What measures, if any, should be taken to make dental care more accessible?
Poverty: Over 18% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. What, if anything, would you do to reduce poverty among children?
Child Care: Child care enables many parents to enter the workforce and maintain employment, yet paying for child care services is becoming increasingly difficult for some as costs continue to rise and many Americans are negatively affected by the recession. What measures should be taken to help families afford child care services, if any, and why?
Child Hunger: Hunger is a growing problem in New Hampshire. One in every five households with children in our state did not have enough food in 2009 and food stamp use is greater than it's ever been before. Where children lack access to healthy food there are often high rates of dietary-related health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Also, nutritionally deficient diets can harm children's mental health, educational achievement and social interactions. What measures would you take to help end child hunger in NH?
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Concord, Ann McLane Kuster is a longtime adoption attorney and community activist who has focused her career on health care and higher education affordability. A former board member of Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, Annie was a recipient of the organization’s Voice for Children award.
National Health Reform Implementation: In addition to expanding coverage through Medicaid, national health reform is expected to provide more than 17 million people with subsidies to purchase coverage through Exchanges. However, some people might still not be able to afford insurance. What measures, if any, would you support to help make health insurance affordable for families?
The Affordable Care Act made great strides to expand health care access to millions of Americans, but Congress failed to tackle the critical issue of health care costs. I believe that creating a public health insurance option would provide vital competition to private insurers that will drive down costs, increase the quality of care and make health insurance more affordable for all New Hampshire families.
Childhood Obesity: More than one in six U.S children are obese, a rate that has tripled in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity is linked to a number of debilitating and expensive diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, several kinds of cancer, and other chronic conditions. What can be done, if anything, to help families and communities address this issue?
Juvenile chronic conditions are not only a cause of great hardship for many New Hampshire families, but they are also one of the greatest cost drivers in our nation’s health care system. We must do better job of coordinating care, so doctors are rewarded for working together to proactively manage chronic conditions, including childhood obesity. And we must ensure that we are teaching young people the importance of eating well, exercising and living healthy lives.
Children’s Budget: Representative Danny Davis and Senator Menendez have introduced the Children’s Budget Act (H.R. 3772/S. 3108), legislation that would require federal spending on children’s programs to be separately displayed and analyzed in the President’s budget, illustrating how the federal government allocates resources for children. What importance, if any, do you place on creating a Children’s Budget and why?
Among our nation’s most solemn obligations is to provide our children with the resources they need to succeed. When we sacrifice the health and wellbeing of our young people, we end up paying the price down the road. I support creating a Children’s Budget because I believe it would illustrate to lawmakers the impact their budgetary decisions have on our nation’s most important resource.
Dental: Tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting nearly 6 in 10 American children. Yet many children and families, particularly those served by Medicaid and CHIP, are unable to access appropriate oral health care. What measures, if any, should be taken to make dental care more accessible?
Tackling the endemic problem of juvenile tooth decay will require a number of steps, including rethinking the way we reimburse dentists, increasing the number of medical providers who can combat the growing problem and investing in community health centers equipped to provide affordable care.
Poverty: Over 18% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level. What, if anything, would you do to reduce poverty among children?
Economic inequality is at the heart of childhood poverty. While the devastating recession of the past two years has exacerbated the situation, childhood poverty has been growing for years. That’s because we are not doing enough as a nation to increase job opportunities and wages for working Americans, and we are not doing enough to increase the affordability of housing, education and health care.
Child Care: Child care enables many parents to enter the workforce and maintain employment, yet paying for child care services is becoming increasingly difficult for some as costs continue to rise and many Americans are negatively affected by the recession. What measures should be taken to help families afford child care services, if any, and why?
With more and more New Hampshire children belonging to homes in which both parents work, policymakers must recognize the importance of providing support for child care services. The federal government can and should play an important role in partnering with parents and states to provide young people with access to early childhood education and after school programs.
Child Hunger: Hunger is a growing problem in New Hampshire. One in every five households with children in our state did not have enough food in 2009 and food stamp use is greater than it's ever been before. Where children lack access to healthy food there are often high rates of dietary-related health conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Also, nutritionally deficient diets can harm children's mental health, educational achievement and social interactions. What measures would you take to help end child hunger in NH?
Especially in these trying economic times, we must ensure that no child goes to bed or school hungry. In the short term, we must increase federal support for food stamp and school lunch programs. Just as importantly, however, we must address the root causes of child hunger by creating jobs, fighting poverty and getting the economy moving again.
