U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release November 22, 2005 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600 |
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Salazar-McCain Commission to Develop Recommendations to Address America’s Health Care Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Millions of families across Colorado and America face the crushing burden of overwhelming health care costs every day. Little has been done to provide them with relief and the problem is only growing worse. A new bipartisan commission proposed by Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and John McCain (R-AZ) will undertake a fresh review of health care in the U.S. with one goal: implementing the best ideas to provide real solutions for the millions of Americans trapped in this Nation’s health care crisis. “During my conversations with Coloradans over the last ten months, whether in cities or in small towns, health care is consistently at the top of their concerns – and it should be at the top of Washington’s too,” said Senator Salazar. “It is not a Democratic or Republican problem. It is a national problem that we must solve together and I am proud to be working on this issue with Senator McCain.” Currently in the U.S.:
Under the Salazar-McCain National Commission on Health Care Act (S. 2007), the 10-member National Commission on Health Care will study our government health care programs and the private health insurance industry. These reviews will develop comprehensive proposals and recommendations that actually solve problems associated with our nation’s health care system. The commission will involve and engage business, labor, health care, consumer, insurance and other groups to develop policies to stabilize our health care system and solve the crisis. Like the 9/11 Commission, which analyzed the problems with our national security system, the Commission will provide Congress with practical solutions to our health care crisis and a blueprint to reform the overall health care system. We anticipate that the Commission will provide practical solutions upon which Congress can act. The Commission will also look at the uninsured, the small business insurance market, the rising costs of premiums and health care costs, and the problems that businesses face in maintaining insurance coverage as well as government programs and the private health insurance industry. As recently as November 3, 2005, the Washington Post reported, “Americans pay more when they get sick than people in other Western nations and receive more confused error-prone treatment, according to the largest survey to compare U.S. health care with other nations.”
The National Commission on Health Care Act of 2005 Senators Ken Salazar and John McCain Q & A
Q. What is the National
Commission on Health Care? (1) The growing number of
uninsured; Because the Commission will
look at the entire health care system, as opposed to portions or fragments
of the system, it will develop across-the-board proposals. Q. What will the
Commission do and when?
Q. Will the Commission
actually solve health care problems? The Commission can not enact legislation or force Congress to reform the health care system. However, like the 9/11 Commission which analyzed the problems with our national security system, the Commission will provide Congress with real solutions to our health care crisis and a blueprint to reform the overall health care system. We anticipate that the Commission will provide practical solutions upon which Congress can act.
Q. Who selects the
members of the Commission? Q. How will this
Commission differ from others? # # # |
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