Ann Wagner is seeking a fourth two-year term as Missouri’s 2nd District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
To get back to Washington, D.C., Wagner will have to first defeat challenger Noga Sachs for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 7 primary election, then will take on one of five Democrats – Mark J. Osmack, (William) Bill Haas, Cort VanOstran, John Messmer and Robert W. Hazel – in the November general election.
Libertarian Larry A. Kirk of Old Monroe and Green Party candidate David Justus Arnold of St. Louis County are running unopposed in their parties’ primaries.
The district covers a small portion of northeastern Jefferson County and extends across most of St. Louis County and into St. Charles County.
U.S. representatives are paid $174,000 per year.
WAGNER, 55, lists her address as P.O. Box 50, Ballwin. She and her husband, Ray, have three children and one grandchild. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri. She is a former U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg (2005-2009) and was the first woman to chair the Missouri Republican Party.
Social media: Website: www.annwagner.com Facebook: Ann4Congress Twitter: @AnnLWagner
SACHS, 34, lives at 12271 Country Manor Lane, St. Louis County. She owns a management consulting, motivational speaking and career coaching business. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in statistics from Boston University in 2005 and a master’s degree in health motivation in 2007. She is a member of the West County Chamber of Commerce and was involved with the Lake Michigan beach cleanup in Chicago in 2016.
Social media: Website: www.nogasachs.com Facebook: Noga Sachs for Congress Twitter: @nogasachs Instagram: noga4congress
What are your thoughts on how to protect insurance coverage for those who have pre-existing conditions?
Wagner: Giving families the peace of mind that comes from guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions is a top priority for me and the Republicans in the House. The good news is that Missouri families who choose health insurance are guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions by law, which I wholeheartedly support. However, overregulation and crippling mandates have led health care costs to skyrocket over the past several years. Giving families more choices and better access to health care is extremely important. I will continue to work in Congress to improve access to care and reduce costs.
Sachs: Education regarding the long-term actuarial cost of neglecting inexpensive procedures to manage pre-existing conditions (such as high cholesterol) to the point of massive expense (a heart attack) is required. These are technical topics that a non-medically trained legislature may not know. Recommendations and training from nonpartisan subject matter experts can draw alignment on both sides.
What should Congress do to address the opioid crisis?
Wagner: The opioid crisis has affected every corner of America. I’ve met with first responders, medical professionals, recovery specialists and families impacted by this crisis to understand how this epidemic is ravaging our community. While there is much work left to be done, Congress has passed legislation providing financial resources to our state and the House recently passed 60 pieces of legislation that address prevention, treatment, recovery support and law enforcement resources. We must continue giving communities the tools they need to fight back, keep fentanyl off our streets and offer hope for a better tomorrow.
Sachs: The opioid crisis stems from both a physician payment structure that reinforces doctors to merely indicate the resolution of a patient's immediate complaint as well as lack of coordination of care between physician and pharmacies. Physicians overseeing pain patients can instead prescribe alternative treatments before opioid treatment unless necessity is verified by at least two additional physicians. Patients coded as opioid prescription recipients can be flagged for counseling and coaching, limit inappropriately quick prescription refills and initiate detox therapy service outreach if needed.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Wagner: Public service is a calling to protect the most vulnerable and serve a cause greater than oneself, and I have lived by that motto to tackle tough issues with bipartisan support. For years, I have been working with law enforcement, advocates and my colleagues to end sex slavery. In April, my most substantial legislative initiative, the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (FOSTA), was signed into law. FOSTA dealt a major blow to the sex trafficking industry, decreasing illegal commercial sex advertisements by almost 90 percent. I am working on additional legislation that empowers victims and law enforcement.
Sachs: Unlike our current representative who has not held a town hall meeting and neglects to fight for the best interest of her district, I will continue to hold virtual town halls as well as substantiate all votes in D.C, with votes of my constituents submitted to me and explanation of legislative implications and consequences. I have a strong background in health care and culture change. I will work to bring down the cost of health care and increase coverage as well as change the blame culture into one of motivated accountability to address both gun violence as well as unemployment.
Five Democrats have lined up to challenge three-term Republican congresswoman Ann Wagner in the November general election.
Voters who cast a Democratic ballot in the Aug. 7 primary election will be charged with choosing one of them – Mark J. Osmack, (William) Bill Haas, Cort VanOstran, John Messmer or Robert W. Hazel.
Osmack, VanOstran and Hazel did not return Leader candidate questionnaires.
Libertarian Larry A. Kirk of Old Monroe and Green Party candidate David Justus Arnold of St. Louis County are running unopposed in their parties’ primaries.
The district covers a small portion of northeastern Jefferson County and extends across most of St. Louis County and into St. Charles County.
U.S. representatives are paid $174,000 per year.
HAAS, 73, lives at 4579 Laclede No. 141, St. Louis. He has one child and two grandchildren. He is a tutor at Huntington Learning Centers, is a semiretired corporate lawyer and teacher. He is an adjunct college professor at Harris-Stowe State College and is a substitute teacher in the Ritenour School District. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University in 1966 and a law degree from Harvard in 1972. He has served on the elected St. Louis Board of Education from 1997-2005 and since 2010.
Social media: Website: www.votebillhaas.com Twitter: @votehaas Facebook: Bill Haas for Congress MO 2nd
MESSMER, 51, lives at 10267 Buffton Drive, St. Louis County. He and his wife, Pamela, have two children. He is a professor at St. Louis Community College. He received a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Park College of St. Louis University in 1988, a master’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1993 and a doctorate degree in political science from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 2001. He was the vice president of the Concord Democratic Club from 2005-2009, a Democratic committeeman for the Concord Township from 2007-2008 and an alternate delegate for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Social Media: Website: JohnMessmer.org Facebook: John Messmer for Congress Twitter: @JohnMessmer
What are your thoughts on how to protect insurance coverage for those who have pre-existing conditions?
Haas: We need to fix the Affordable Care Act (ACA), pass legislation addressing current court cases to abolish pre-existing conditions restrictions and make health insurance affordable. I would advocate for a single-payer system and start by lowering the age to 55. If we don’t have a mandate with ACA, the government will have to fund it more.
Messmer: We need federal laws that prohibit the denial of health care coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Such a policy must then naturally mandate that everyone have insurance. For those who cannot afford private insurance, government subsidies should be made available. Others would be eligible for coverage through an expansion of Medicaid. This was essentially the policy of the Affordable Care Act before its destruction by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. Though not perfect, it represented a strong step in the right direction. A revised American healthcare policy must use the ACA as a starting point.
What should Congress do to address the opioid crisis?
Haas: This is a tough one. Marijuana may help, so this should be considered. We need a state and federal purchase registry. Public service announcements should be prepared and a hotline started to encourage people to ask for help. We need to prescribe fewer pills and have better safeguards for abuse. We also need to understand other reasons people become addicted and address the causes.
Messmer: There is much that Congress can do. First, we need more funding for treatment and enforcement. We can find this funding if we reset our priorities, amend the Controlled Substances Act, and remove marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. This would free up much-needed human and financial resources to address opioids. Second, we need to change the way federal agencies regulate and enforce laws regarding prescription opioids. Third, Congress needs to amend medical privacy laws to allow medical practitioners easier access to a patient’s history of treatment for opioid abuse and addiction.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Haas: I’ve been chasing this ambition for public service 40 years, and believe I have the best, most creative solutions:
■ Early childhood education: All children reading at grade-level by third grade.
■ Protect Social Security and Medicare, not outsource them.
■ Public service announcements for people who are thinking of killing themselves or others.
■ Money for college: End current loans after 20 years.
■ Peace in the Middle East by extending economic aid to the Palestinians.
■ Severance for laid-off workers due to mergers or automation.
■ End animal cruelty on factory farms.
■ Care better for veterans.
■ Common-sense gun laws.
Messmer: Congress is broken and captured by special interests. The only way to return it to the people is to elect reformers. I am the only candidate in this race who is making fundamental political reform a priority. My goals, if elected:
■ To destroy the stranglehold that special interests and big money have over lawmaking.
■ To give the people a Congress that serves them, not lobbyists and the parties.
■ To demand an ethical overhaul in Congress. No corruption, no abuses of power.
■ To be the representative this district deserves: hard-working, attentive and always accessible.