FARGO Democrat Heidi Heitkamp said Monday that Congress ought to be discussing ways to reduce health care costs while emphasizing personal wellness, instead of continuing to politicize controversial reforms.

In her first visit with The Forum Editorial Board since launching her Senate bid last fall, Heitkamp clarified her position on the 2010 law now commonly called Obamacare and she railed against the demagoguery of critics who seek to repeal it while offering few solutions.

You really need to have people instead of pointing fingers and using health care as a political football you need to have them sit down at a table and start talking about what the real costs are and how you solve it, Heitkamp said.

Health care reform has been one of the most dominant issues in North Dakotas U.S. Senate race, offering a clear contrast between Heitkamp and Republican Rep. Rick Berg.

Berg adamantly favors repealing the controversial law, and his campaign has relentlessly attacked Heitkamp for her evolving support of it.

After Congress passed the health care law in spring 2010, Heitkamp headlined rallies in which she praised the law. She called the bill a legacy vote and urged supporters of the law to be vigilant against efforts to repeal it.

Two years later, Heitkamp said this spring for the first time publicly that shes often said that its not a perfect law.

Heitkamp expanded on those statements Monday, detailing areas she said the law fell short or was altogether flawed.

Ive never liked the mandate in part because of where it came from, Heitkamp said, referring to the mandates origins as a proposal offered by a Republican think tank in the mid-1990s.

It presupposes people dont buy health insurance because they dont want to, Heitkamp said. People dont buy health insurance because they cant afford it.

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Heitkamp on health care: Focus should be on incentives, not mandates (with video)