NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Dingell, Wynn on Rising Health Care Costs

CMS Report Details Record Increase in Health Costs

Washington, D.C. - Reps. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Albert R. Wynn (D-MD), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, today issued the following statements in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report on the rising cost of health care.

"Today’s CMS report confirms fears that health care costs have spiked to record levels and are increasing at a significantly faster rate than wages,” said Dingell. “The Bush Administration’s failure to address our country’s broken health care system has resulted in 47 million uninsured Americans and a national health care bill that now tops $2 trillion.”

“This report proves that protecting the health of the American people will require sweeping reforms, as well as an Administration willing to make quality, affordable health care a top priority,” said Wynn. “With our national health care bill now averaging more than $7,000 a person, it’s clear that major surgery, not simply a band-aid, is necessary to repair our ailing health care system.”

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