In Va., McDonnell Tries to Tie Deeds to National Democrats on Health Reform

Virginia's Republican candidate for governor worked Thursday to tie his Democratic opponent to controversial efforts by Democrats in Washington to reform the nation's health-care system, a day after a major address by President Obama to Congress on the issue.

At a forum in Tysons Corner for business executives attended by both candidates and then a conference call with reporters, Robert F. McDonnell said he believed elements of Obama's plan would be a burdensome intrusion by the federal government into the private sector.

Convinced that public support for Obama's proposals has dwindled in Virginia, he and two other Republicans running for statewide office in Virginia challenged state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) to reject Obama's call for a public health insurance option and a mandate that all Americans become insured.

McDonnell said that the former would "in the long run lead to a complete takeover of the health system by the federal government" and that the latter was "another mandate on the free enterprise system that seems to be somewhat in character for this administration."

Deeds has resisted McDonnell's efforts to turn Virginia's race into a referendum on national politics, but he issued a statement Wednesday shortly after the conclusion of Obama's remarks calling on Congress to pass health-care reform.

He said Thursday that he supports more competition in the health-care market to drive down costs, which could come through a public option, nonprofit health-care cooperatives or more private insurance options. He said he also supports mandated care, provided that incentives are available for small businesses.

"I think that Congress can't afford to fail in this instance," Deeds said after Thursday's forum. "We've got to find a way to bring costs down and get more people covered. I'm not wedded to any single approach."

Both candidates have released plans for changes to the health-care system that can be made at the state level. Joining his Republican ticket mates for statewide office, McDonnell said Thursday that he would expand a state tax credit that can be used to buy long-term care insurance, encourage health savings accounts and work with both parties to reform Medicaid to bring down costs.

He also said Congress should remove rules that prohibit businesses from buying out-of-state health plans and said he was pleased that Obama spoke about the need for medical malpractice reform. Virginia has caps on medical malpractice awards, which McDonnell said should remain.

Deeds has proposed a tax credit of $1,000 per every employee for small businesses that pay at least 50 percent of their workers' health insurance premiums; prohibiting insurance companies from refusing coverage for preexisting conditions; enrolling pregnant women in Medicaid; and providing low-interest loans to people who have lost their jobs to help them buy insurance.

Both candidates have endorsed allowing small businesses to offer their employees basic health plans that would be cheaper than traditional coverage and making new investments in preventive care.

With 52 days before the Nov. 3 election, McDonnell and Deeds briefly crossed paths in Tysons Corner, delivering speeches and then fielding questions at the Ritz Carlton from the business group, the Potomac Officers Club. The men are competing vigorously for the votes of the state's moderate corporate leaders, many of whom supported Republicans until lured to the Democrats by venture capitalist Mark Warner when he ran for governor in 2001.