KREM 2 viewers voted on the top issues this election cycle and they said healthcare tops the list. KREM 2's Rob Harris sat down with candidates for Washington's 5th District to get answers on some current health care concerns.
Republican candidate Jered Gavin Bonneau advocated for a complete withdrawal of government involvement in healthcare. He said he believes a free market system would provide better care for lower costs in the long run.
"I think anytime you add government to a problem, it just becomes a bigger problem" Bonneau said. "You have all these things that the government has its hands in, that have just made [them] bigger problems."
Bonneau specifically said he would vote in Congress to privatize portions of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for "free market" approaches to Medicare and Medicaid. Cutting down on "regulatory burdens" on health care and insurance providers would benefit consumers in the long run, he said.
Bonneau also noted that some constituents he has met are concerned that getting rid of government protections could lead to monopolies in healthcare and leave consumers vulnerable.
"Those types of concerns are very real concerns," Bonneau said. "I don't have a set idea for that. That's something that everybody needs to be brought to the table and say, 'Here's what could happen, here's what we need to look at."
Bonneau currently works as a mental health technician at Eastern State Hospital. He said this role has given him a unique perspective on the mental healthcare system, which he called "broken."
He said mental healthcare is drastically underfunded, but as a "strict constitutionalist" would ultimately only want to see funding appropriated from the state.
You can watch the full interview with Bonneau below.
KREM 2 has previously posted healthcare interviews with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democratic candidate Lisa Brown.