By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
A former health care industry official has announced plans to seek the Democratic nomination for the Second District U.S. House of Representative seat now held by three-term Republican Jackie Walorski.
Mel Hall, who worked his way up in the Press Ganey ranks to serve as CEO for 10 years, announced his plans during a South Bend press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 10. He was in Wabash on Thursday, Oct. 12, to attend the Grow Wabash County annual dinner.
He told The Paper of Wabash County that his campaign is based on holding himself accountable to the voters.
“That’s what I’ve done throughout my business career,” he said, as well as “seeking opportunities for people all across the district.”
“I believe all people are created equal,” he said. “If you take those words seriously, they’re actually meaningful. If all people were created equal, we would probably think a little differently about healthcare than we do.
“If we really believe that everyone is created equal, we would treat our veterans differently when they come home than we do now, by way of healthcare, long they wait, what we do with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, all sorts of things.
“If we really held ourselves accountable, we would act differently. If we really believed all people are created equal, we would act differently.”
The Second District, as it stands now, is a predominantly Republican based area. But, Hall noted, it is accustomed to changing representatives every few election cycles.
“The pendulum has gone back and forth every three or four election cycles,” he said. “But what’s different is the district was redrawn so a Republican candidate starts with a little more advantage. But it is what it is. We can all say all sorts of things, like it’s not fair, but it doesn’t matter. We have to play the hand we’re dealt, so I’m not going to complain about that.”
Hall touched base on some of the key issues now taking place in the U.S., starting with health care.
“I would say people in the Second District are probably tired of dead-end debates about the Affordable Care Act,” he said. “What we all know is it needs to be improved. But when you talk about repealing something in which people with pre-consisting conditions are already in, that’s a non-starter. It’s time for us to stop talking about that.
“My business background tells me we always need to focus on continuous improvement. If there’s a problem, fix it. If there’s something that’s not quite working right, let’s figure out what we need to do to make it better. I’m convinced the Affordable Care Act is a good start, but we need to improve it. I’m not at all in favor of repealing it, but I am in favor of improving it.”
Hall said he supports the Second Amendment.
“Guns for sport, for defense, are firmly in line with who we are as a country,” he said. “Where I would draw the line are the modifications in weapons that make them more than just for defense or just for hunting or just for sport. Those kind of modifications – like the bump or a magazine that has 30 or 35 rounds – I think we need to ask ourselves (if they are needed).”
If elected, Hall would face at least two years under the Trump Administration.
“I would think a lot of people would say it’s off to more than a slightly choppy start,” he said. “There’s been a barrage of distractions, whether it be Twitter feeds or the individual sniping. We need to move past the unnecessary distractions, the unforced and unneeded personal battles that do not move our country forward.”
A Grant County native, Hall graduated from Eastbrook High School. He majored in history at Taylor University and later went to seminary and later became an assistant minister at a Methodist Church in Detroit.
Following his time in the ministry, Hall enrolled in the doctorate program at the University of Notre Dame, where he received a doctorate in statistics and research.
He joined Press Ganey as manager of research and development department, was later named director of research of development. He eventually became CEO in 2001 and served in that post until 2009. He remained with the company until 2012. In 2014 he was named CEO of Specialty Care, a Nashville, Tenn., based firm.