2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial Candidate Debate: Healthcare Access
Updated: October 30, 2024 9:32 PM EDT
To compete for the championship. Next question from Steve Botari. Concerns about access to health care have been growing here in New Hampshire in recent months. Exeter Hospital has been criticized for announcing the elimination of several programs following the hospital’s absorption into Beth Israel Lahey. Elsewhere in Laconia, residents are worried that three doctors have died, leaving thousands of people without primary care. So, as governor, what specifically will you do to ensure access to health care?Senator Ayotte, first of all, I think it’s really important that we have access across the state. Therefore, we need to protect our state’s more rural and critical access hospitals. When we look at these mergers, for example, when a nonprofit company acquires a nonprofit company for for-profit purposes, I think they have to be held accountable for what they say. I know the Attorney General is currently considering another deal, but I think it’s really important that the Attorney General takes responsibility because mental health needs to continue. Because we also need more health care providers. So we’re going to make sure that there’s a strong commitment to keeping and growing these providers here in New Hampshire. But most important of all is the responsibility to cover the entire state and ensure rural areas are covered as well. And I now get to visit many of those rural hospitals. Free care is problematic. I will work to solve this problem in a way that protects not only hospitals but also local care and ensures that people with mental health issues are served. Mayor Craig, how do we ensure access to health care? So as mayor of Manchester, I worked with two of the largest hospitals in the state. We worked closely together to make sure we were providing the services our residents and residents across the state needed. And we’re going to learn at the state level that when it comes to these mergers, before we sign the documents, we need to make sure that we don’t have: Medical services will be abolished. And we need to ensure quality, affordable health care across the state. We know that attracting and retaining medical health professionals is a challenge at this time. Therefore, we should focus on the debt problem by abolishing debt and university repayments. But back to what I said earlier. Because the roundtable brought up the fact that New Hampshire’s abortion ban criminally and civilly holds doctors accountable, which prevents doctors from coming here. That needs to be addressed. And the other person has no intention of changing that. Impacting medical professionals who want to stay in New Hampshire. Because you may not be able to provide the service you need, and that would be wrong. Senator, would you please change that part of the law? I’ve already said it clearly before this was brought up in any other discussion. If there are any issues that I notice, I will address them. This is important and we want to make sure that people have access, so we need to make sure that our doctors clearly know how to do it and can operate in this state, but at the same time we’re recruiting new doctors and nurses. You should also check. There are some great programs going on. For example, Riviera University and other locations in New State.
2024 New Hampshire Gubernatorial Candidate Debate: Healthcare Access
Updated: October 30, 2024 9:32 PM EDT
In the Granite State debate, New Hampshire gubernatorial candidates Kelly Ayotte and Joyce Craig discuss what exactly they would do to protect health care access in the state.
MANCHESTER, NH —
In the Granite State debate, New Hampshire gubernatorial candidates Kelly Ayotte and Joyce Craig discuss what exactly they would do to protect health care access in the state.
