Rep. Vicky Hartzler

Missouri Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler hopes to win another term today in the U.S. House. She faces Democrat Renee Hoagenson and Libertarian Mark Bliss.

Hartzler wants the chance to continue working towards a full repeal of Obamacare and a replacement that gives more health care control to states.

“Our bill would’ve allowed more competition, would have gone after the cost drivers such as the frivolous lawsuits,” she tells Missourinet affiliate KSSZ in Columbia. “It would’ve given more control back to patients so that they can keep more of their money and use it as health savings accounts and have more choices, given more choices back to the states while at the same time protecting pre-existing conditions, allowed young people to stay on their parents policies until 26.”

Hoagenson, of Columbia, tells KSSZ the top concern she’s heard while going door-to-door is about health care.

“There are literally people dying because they can’t get their scripts filled while Congress allows these pharmaceutical companies to literally profiteer off our backs at a rate of twice as much or greater,” she says. “I would just submit that if your political ideology is killing people, maybe you need a new one.”

Renee Hoagenson

Hoagenson supports an initiative on today’s ballot that would raise the minimum wage to 12-dollars-an-hour over the next four years. She also wants a quarterly tax credit to help small businesses with the added costs to pay their workers.

“If our government is going to put the finger on the scale for anybody, it should be for working Americans instead of these big donors and special interest groups,” Hoagenson says.

Hartzler opposes the measure and says it would hurt the people it’s designed to help by cutting jobs.

“We should let the capitalists, society, and competition drive those wage decisions rather than government,” she says.

Hartzler’s west-central district includes Columbia, Sedalia, Moberly and Lebanon.

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