[NPInfo] Candidate who likes us in NC

[David Mittman]

Mumpower tackles health care, illegal immigration

Republican candidate wants to give more access to care
By LAURA L. WOODRING
lwoodring at cherokeescout.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 8:07 PM CDT

SCOTT WALLACE/Cherokee Scout
Republican candidate for the District 11 U.S. House of Representatives  
seat Carl Mumpower answers questions from the public Monday afternoon  
at the Murphy Public Library. Mumpower is challenging incumbent Heath  
Shuler (D-N.C.) for the seat.
     Murphy  – Carl Mumpower’s plan for fixing this nation’s health- 
care system is two-fold: remove the bureaucratic restrictions placed  
on people in the health-care industry, and increase competition with  
doctors and insurance companies.

     At a town hall meeting held Monday at the Murphy Public Library,  
the Republican candidate for the District 11 seat of the U.S. House of  
Representatives, Mumpower fielded questions from citizens who  
attended. Most questions focused on health care and illegal  
immigration. District 11 includes Cherokee County.

     Mumpower said it was not realistic or fair to create a health- 
care system that added to the national debt, “spending on the backs’  
of our children.”

     Universal health care is not part of Mumpowers solution, either.

     “I don’t want the same government involved that’s doing a  
horrible job with Medicare and Medicaid,” he said.

     He described the health-care system as a hybrid of the socialist  
system and free enterprise system.

     “The current system borrows from the worst of both,” Mumpower said.

     Mumpower said that the bureaucratic policies and restrictions  
stop doctors from being able to help people.

     Doctors these days, Mumpower said, practice defensive medicine.  
They prescribe multiple medications in an attempt to cover all the  
bases, then refer patients to specialists when they are afraid of  
regulations.

     “Legal drugs are killing as many people as illegal drugs,” he said.

     Mumpower suggested giving people more access to nurse  
practitioners and physicians assistants to increase competition in the  
health-care industry.

     “Put a nurse practitioner in Wal-Mart or on every corner,” he said.

     EMT Chad McNabb said he could treat 75 percent of patients he  
sees if there were not so many restrictions placed on paramedics.

     “We’re treating the lawyers and not the patients,” he said.

     “Make [doctors] more assessable and relieve restrictions,”  
Mumpower replied.

     Another hot topic of the town hall meeting was illegal  
immigration. Mumpower’s plan for illegal immigration also is two-fold.

     Mumpower attributed at least part of the high dropout rate in  
North Carolina high schools to the rise of illegal immigrants. Jobs  
are being taken by immigrants because a person who is in the country  
illegally is going to work hard and not make waves, Mumpower said.

     “We’re not uplifting our children,” he said. Holding the business  
community responsible for hiring illegal immigrants will create more  
jobs for children graduating high school and will encourage students  
to stay in school.

     The second step in the solution for dealing with illegal  
immigration,” he said.

     Mumpower said increasing control of the nation’s border would  
help protect us from terrorists, as well.

     Mumpower plans to hold town hall meetings in all 15 counties he  
is running to represent and then visit each county again in a debate  
format.