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U.S.
Senator Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release Monday, May 05, 2008 |
CONTACT: Stephanie Valencia – 202-494- 8790 |
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Finance Committee Takes First Step to Discuss Broad Health Care Reform
Solutions WASHINGTON, DC –
Today, the United States Senate Finance Committee held a hearing entitled
“Seizing the New Opportunity for Health Reform” which examined
general principles and goals of health care reform and reaffirmed that
reform should be comprehensive, not incremental, and quality health
care should be available for everyone. This was the first in a series
of hearings aimed at identifying the problems with our nation’s health
care system and developing solutions that will address those issues.
At today’s hearing, the Finance Committee heard testimony from former
Heath and Human Service Secretaries Donna Shalala and Tommy Thompson.
“There is little doubt that America’s health care system is broken – all of us sitting here today can agree on that. But knowing that something is broken and understanding how to fix it are two different things, and I know that I am not alone in my commitment to pinpoint why our current system is not working and take action on the changes that will put us back on the right track. Today offers us a tremendous opportunity to discuss reform efforts and draw on the experience of two health care veterans, and I hope this hearing will launch a thoughtful dialogue on the Committee’s eventual legislative solutions. “As health care access takes center stage in the lives of American families and on the campaign trail, we frequently hear statistics illustrating the challenges facing families today and the potential health care crisis of tomorrow. Yet, no matter how many times we hear them, the numbers remain staggering. 1n 2005, nearly 40 million people in this country – 19 percent of our population - reported that they did not receive needed health care services because they could not afford them. In my home state of Colorado, over 785,000 people lack health insurance – over 180,000 of them are children. Although these numbers are significant in and of themselves, I suspect they are just one symptom of a larger problem. “While many in our nation go without care, it certainly is not due to a lack of health care spending. In 2005, health care expenditures in the U.S. totaled over $2 trillion dollars – nearly 15 percent of our gross domestic product and the highest spending level of any developed nation by far. So I ask myself – with so much of our money being spent on health care services, how can so many of our people lack access to affordable, high quality care? It is a dynamic we all struggle to understand, and I look forward to hearing the panel’s thoughts on this during today’s discussion. “When I go back to Colorado and talk to the people in my state, their number one health concern is the cost of care. The price they must pay drives every decision they make when it comes to their personal health – which is certainly not the way we should be making life-altering decisions for our friends and loved ones. For those people without insurance, the problem is obvious – they cannot afford to pay the staggering “sticker price” for health care services out of their pocket – and they rely too heavily on emergency services which are inefficient, expensive and less than ideal. But the growing plight of the uninsured causes difficulty for individuals with insurance as well, as many of the costs of treating the uninsured are passed along to all consumers and result in increased premiums and cost-sharing obligations. This often means that even those with insurance cannot afford to seek treatment because they cannot afford their high deductibles and copayments, creating a vicious cycle of unmet health care needs. “As I listen to discussions of health care reform, I can come to only one conclusion – our goal must be universal access to affordable, high quality health care for every person in this country. While I am sure that my colleagues on the Committee may have differing perspectives on how we can achieve this goal, I am convinced that there are common principles that can tie us together and hope that former Secretaries Shalala and Thompson can help us identify those areas. Prevention, health technology, primary care, chronic care coordination – these are concepts that we know hold value – and the time has come for us to delve into the details of incorporating them into our health care system and realigning the system’s incentives to make sure they are addressed. “Thank you again to our distinguished witnesses for taking the time out of your busy schedule to join us today. I look forward to hearing your insights on how to fix America’s broken health care system and hope to learn a great deal from our discussion today.”
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