|  | Spoke: Tuesday, July 27
Janet Napolitano
Napolita waves to the delegates during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, July 27, 2004. no
(Photo:
AP
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A former attorney general and federal prosecutor, Janet Napolitano, 46, is serving her first term as Arizona governor. One of her goals since taking office has been government reform on all levels. She spoke to the convention about health-care reform.
"You know something has gone very wrong when Starbucks pays more for health care than it does for coffee beans, and Ford pays more for health care than it does for steel," she said. "Health-care costs have exploded over the past four years, and Americans have had enough."
She railed against the current state of health care, saying Medicare should be allowed to negotiate drug prices and patients and doctors – not their HMOs - should have control over medical decisions.
She said John Kerry has a plan in which, "every American will have access to affordable, reliable health care. He'll do it by cutting through government red tape. And by cutting taxes for businesses that do the right thing and offer health plans for their employees. That's not just good health-care policy."
In her first year in office, Napolitano won approval of a budget that erased a $1 billion state deficit without raising taxes or cutting funding for public schools or other vital services. Though a long shot, at one point she was considered for the vice presidential spot on the ticket.
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