Larry Bucshon

Larry Bucshon is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the eighth district of the State of Indiana, since 2011. Bucshon is a heart surgeon, and prior to his election to Congress he was president of a cardiology and cardiovascular surgery practice in the Ohio Valley.

Economy
As a candidate, Bucshon questioned the efficacy of the 2009 stimulus bill, saying the unemployment rate had risen since the legislation was passed. He called the legislation an "abject failure" that has 'thrown away a bunch of money." He acknowledged that there were many individuals who had benefited from the stimulus, but proposed a freeze on any stimulus funds that have not yet been paid out.

Bucshon's campaign released an economic plan that called for a permanent extension of the Bush tax credits, a permanent repeal of the estate tax, and immediate reductions in tax rates for small business and individuals. The plan also called for an end to government bailouts, balanced federal budgets, cuts to discretionary spending and a reduction of the national debt. In addition, he stated during a campaign debate that military spending cuts should be considered, as long as those cuts did not put Americans at risk.

Climate, energy & environment
Bucshon stated he wants to "work towards energy independence, for both economic and national security purposes." Several times during the 2010 campaign, Bucshon spoke out against cap-and-trade energy legislation. During a debate in the GOP primary, Bucshon agreed with his fellow candidates in opposing cap-and-trade proposals in the House, which would establish emissions for coal-powered plants such as those found in the Midwest. On his website, he stated such a bill would be "devastating" to his district. He said jobs and industry would be lost, and he claimed the underlying data behind cap-and-trade legislation does not support the concept of global warming being the result of human activity. Also during the campaign, Bucshon claimed that environmental policies contributed to a situation where jobs are "bring sent overseas." He made the remark while discussing the shuttering of a Whirlpool plant in Evansville, which resulted in the loss of 1,100 jobs.

Bucshon said he supports "new exploration for sources of oil, clean coal technology, the expanded use of nuclear energy, and solar and wind energy technology."

Health
As a heart surgeon, Bucshon made health care one of his signature campaign issues. Early in the campaign he said the Affordable Care Act would “decimate the health care system in America.” He thinks that many doctors will retire and many young people will not be willing to become doctors anymore.

While acknowledging that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would likely fail, and be vetoed by President Barack Obama even if it passed, Bucshon supports some changes to healthcare delivery in the U.S. His plan would include "tax incentives for people not offered group plans at work" and would remove restrictions on the purchase of health insurance across state lines.

However, later in the campaign, Bucshon said he would support an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Those remarks came during a debate with his opponent, Democrat Trent Van Haaften. He cited the high cost of the legislation, though conceded that all Americans should have health coverage.

On his campaign website, Bucshon stated that underlying costs in the healthcare system need to be addressed. He proposed a series of policy ideas to reduce those costs :
 * 1) Pursue meaningful Tort Reform
 * 2) Expand Healthcare Savings Account eligibility
 * 3) Employee pooling to create larger, more competitive buying groups
 * 4) Remove denial of insurance based on preexisting conditions
 * 5) Protect Seniors from Medicare cuts

Additional reforms proposed by Bucshon include giving small businesses the ability to pool together for insurance purposes; auto-enrollment of employees who have access to insurance through their employers, and for individuals eligible for state and federal aid; and shifting responsibility for high-risk pools to the states.

Following his election, Bucshon told the Evansville Courier & Press that his No. 1 priority would be legislation to fix a gap in reimbursement rates for physicians paid through Medicare. The current formula, called the sustainable growth rate, is indexed to inflation, which has not kept pace with healthcare spending. Closing the gap could cost an estimated "$15 billion for one year and as much as $300 billion through the next decade."

Immigration
According to his campaign Web site, Bucshon favors stronger enforcement of immigration laws, particularly those regarding employment of undocumented immigrants. In addition, he called for increased security along the nation's borders, while arguing against any type of amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

Social Security
Bucshon's opponent questioned comments made during an interview, where Bucshon said Americans should be allowed to invest Social Security funds in private accounts. He later clarified the remark to insist he didn't support privatization of the program. Rather, he questioned the long-term viability of Social Security, saying cuts may be necessary within 20 years if changes aren't made. He said he would not support any change unless "it guarantees the retirement security of our current retirees and the ones in the future."

Veterans
As a candidate, Bucshon proposed allowing veterans to choose a private healthcare provider, which would then be paid for through VA benefits.

Bio
Bucshon was born and raised in Kincaid, Illinois, and studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign prior to medical school. He enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago and conducted his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he was chief resident in surgery. Following his seven-year residency, Bucshon completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the Medical College. Following the example of his father, who had served in the U.S. Navy, Bucshon joined the U.S. Navy Reserve, eventually completing a 10-year term of service. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander on July 1, 1994 Bucshon also completed a training position at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Hospital.

Prior to his election, Bucshon was the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center in Evansville. He was also the president of Ohio Valley HeartCare, a cardiology and cardiovascular surgery practice.

2010 elections
Bucshon announced he would seek the open seat of Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who ran for (unsuccessfully) for the U.S. Senate. He said entered the race because he feared the effects of a Barack Obama presidency. Bucshon said "it became clear to me that what he said in the campaign -- big government, more spending, more federal government control -- was what he was really going to do."

Bucshon defeated seven other Republican candidates in a May 4 primary, and went on to defeat Democratic nominee William Trent Van Haaften by a margin of 20-percent in the general election.

Money in politics
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