The Florida state legislator chosen for the interview is Charlie Crist. He is a politician and lawyer who entered the American political arena in the 1980s as a supporter of the Republican Party. In 1992, Crist was elected to the Florida State Senate where he spent two terms protecting the rights of Floridians to education and fighting for the environment (“Biography,” n. d.). From 2000 to 2002, Charlie Crist continued to promote his attitude to the important issues in education and environmental protection.
In 2002, he was elected to the position of Florida Attorney General which allowed him to broaden the scope of political influence and improve the state of spheres related to youth, health, and citizens’ well-being. As the 44th Governor of Florida, Crist was responsible for the funding of educational institutions. Also, he improved the state of affairs in the teaching sector and was in charge of environment-protecting programs in reaction to oil spills in 2010 (“Biography,” n. d.). It is important to note that the politician pays a lot of attention to the rights of veterans and seniors trying to promote bills protecting their benefits and improving their status in the US. As a member of Congress, Crist also demonstrates his concern about the state of healthcare and the prices for prescription drugs, as well as the system of health insurance for different categories of citizens (Taylor, 2019).
The legislator’s current political position is being a member of the House of Representatives from Florida’s 13th district (one time in office). Currently, he appears to hold democratic views having switched the party. Due to his long-term career of working in the areas of environmental protection, improvement of resources, as well as active involvement in the state’s defensive policy, Crist is appointed to the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (Taylor, 2019). Also, as a “Vice-Chair of the Senior Task Force,” the legislator carries out the responsibility to protect the rights of veterans with the emphasis on their healthcare needs and the establishment of “financial security and quality of life” (Taylor, 2019, para. 4). Crist’s current policy agenda entails his latest accomplishments with the priority set on the improvements in the areas of affordable healthcare for Floridians, the protection of veterans’ rights, improvements in educational, environmental, and safety areas.
The healthcare bill chosen for the interview is the Middle-Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019. This bill is aimed at the elimination of “the excise tax on employer-sponsored health care coverage for which there is an excess benefit” (“H.R.748 – Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019,” 2019, para. 1). Charlie Crist has supported this bill, which determines his active involvement in the process of reconstructing the existing taxation system in the healthcare-related sphere. To mock an interview with the legislator on the topic of the introduced healthcare bill, the following questions are presented.
How would you describe the benefits this bill might bring in case it becomes law?
In the course of your political career as the Representative of Florida, there were several bills related to healthcare that you supported (Taylor, 2019). Do you think this particular case might cause any positive effect on the overall system of healthcare affordability in the future?
Within the framework of the general need for the reconstruction of the healthcare system in the USA, how important are the bills concerning taxes about the ones improving the prices for prescription drugs?
I have voted for this bill because I think that high taxes on employer-sponsored health coverage diminish the financial capabilities of organizations. Also, the threat of being exposed to high taxes discourages employers’ dissenting from carrying out their responsibilities before their employees who need health coverage. Therefore, in my opinion, this bill will be beneficial for both employers and employees.
Indeed, during my career, I have demonstrated my concerns about pivotal healthcare issues, such as Medicare for senior citizens and prescription drug pricing policies (Taylor, 2019). As for this particular bill, I think it has the potential to start changes in tax policy related to healthcare, but it needs to be followed by more decisive steps and the more constructive reforming of the sphere in general.
Being an active supporter of civil rights protection and fighting for the quality of life and affordable medicine for all citizens, I may say that the issues that concern people directly are more important than the ones concerning ultimate economic problems. Thus, emphasis should be placed on the problems that average Americans encounter daily. This means that we need to resolve the issues with drug pricing and health insurance promptly.
In conclusion, reflecting on the mock interview presented in this paper, one might underline the importance of the issues in the sphere of healthcare not only for the state of Florida but also for the citizens of the USA in general. The attitude of this legislator to the issues under discussion is demonstrated by his voting and the overall directions of the main political involvements. The majority of his decisions in the office are related to the protection of people’s rights to have an affordable and high-quality healthcare system. In my opinion, Charlie Crist could bring change to the current situation in the sphere.
References
Biography. (n. d.). Web.
H.R.748 – Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019. (2019).
Taylor, J. I. (2019). Facing GOP competition, Charlie Crist touts policy accomplishments.