Two Presidential Candidates Announce Plans to Cure Diabetes

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) and former Governor Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico) both indicated that they wanted to cure diabetes during Monday night's debate. Bold proposals, but the debate format prevented them from detailing their paths toward this goal.

Richardson struck first while responding to a question on fixing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He said that 33% of Medicare funds are spent on diabetes and that a bipartisan effort is needed for prevention plans, and to ensure that a cure is found. These remarks are stronger than ones he made in a May debate, where he only emphasized the need for prevention.

Dodd's announcement may have been a mistake, as he was addressing a video asking about Alzheimer's. Dodd addressed the woman in the video suffering from Alzheimer's before declaring that stem cell research would proceed under his administration "so they can deal with diabetes." An odd moment for sure, but at least he suggested he cares about cures.

Richardson made the stronger of the two statements, but even his campaign site lacks a plan for curing diabetes. How would he -- or Dodd -- ensure a cure for diabetes or other conditions reaches humans?

QUESTION: What's the dirtiest little secret in Washington? The U.S. is going broke. With the retirement of the baby boomers, things are only going to get worse. Fed Chairman Bernanke has said Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security need to be radically changed to avoid this crisis, yet everything is business as usual in D.C.

There are two solutions, both of which are politically unpopular: Raise taxes or cut benefits. Which would you choose, and how would you convince the public to support you?

COOPER: Governor Richardson?

RICHARDSON: The best solution to those two issues is a bipartisan effort to fix it.

Medicare -- 33 percent of it is diabetes. Let's have major prevention programs, and also ways that we can ensure that we find a cure.

(APPLAUSE)

Social Security -- stop raiding the Social Security trust fund. Stop talking about privatization.

(APPLAUSE)

And then thirdly, let's look at a universal pension, 401(k) universal pension, that would assure portability for those that want to keep their pensions as they move into other professions.

But what we need is a bipartisan effort. Put this issue aside. If I'm president, I would take this issue and I would say, Republicans, Democrats, within a year, let's find a solution. No politics. This is the safety net of this country. [...]

QUESTION: Mark and Joel Strauss, Davenport, Iowa. Not every parent has the luxury of two loving sons to care for them during Alzheimer's.

My question for the candidates is, people like us -- the baby boomer generation -- is going to see a boom of Alzheimer's over the upcoming decades.

What are you prepared to do to fight this disease now? [...]

QUESTION: Hi, this is Lucia Ballie (ph) for a group of friends on the east side of L.A. And our question is: Does your health care plan cover undocumented workers?

QUESTION: Thank you.

COOPER: Senator Dodd?

DODD: First of all, I hope all of us get a chance to comment on this issue. This is a huge issue that deserves the attention and every candidate here ought to have the chance to talk about health care.

(CROSSTALK)

DODD: First of all, the woman with the Alzheimer's issue -- stem cell research. Under a Dodd administration, stem cell research will be conducted so they can deal with diabetes.

(APPLAUSE)