NurseWeek

Candidates prepare for presidential debate

By Keith W. Murrow
Health24News
October 3, 2000


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Washington (H24N). The first presidential debate scheduled for Tuesday night between Democrat candidate, Vice President Al Gore and Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush at the University of Massachusetts in Boston will concentrate on specific issues, including Medicare and prescription drug benefits.

The candidates spent the weekend with their respective campaigns boning up on strategies and their key issues.

The first debate is considered by many to be the most important of the three debates before the elections. Traditionally, the initial presidential debate usually generates the largest audience of the three; Tuesday’s telecast is expected to reach an estimated 90 million viewers.

Bush and Gore enter Tuesday night’s 90-minute nationally televised debate locked in a statistical dead heat in national polls with just over a month left in the campaign.

The debates afford both the candidates a chance to highlight their plans for numerous issues including this elections white-hot topic of health care.

Expect both candidates to spend time explaining their ideas for reforming the nation’s Medicare program through the implementation of a prescription drug benefit, as well as ideas for securing the financial solvency of the government-run health insurance program for senior citizens.

Other issues are expected to generate debate between the two candidates – the number children going without health insurance in the U.S, the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, universal health insurance, abortion, and the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) recent approval of the abortion drug RU-486.

Broadcast journalist Jim Leher, of PBS’s The News Hour, will moderate the debate, which will take place in the University of Massachusett’s Clark Athletic Center gymnasium.

Over the course of the next month Gore and Bush will meet in two more debates. Their running mates, Democrat Joe Lieberman and Republican Dick Cheney will also meet in a debate scheduled for Wednesday of this week.