U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release November 22, 2005		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600
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.: 46 million Americans lack health insurance, including over 766,590 in Colorado (19% of Colorado’s population); Health insurance premiums for family coverage are up over 59 percent since 2000; The average annual premium for employer-sponsored family coverage is nearly $10,000; Last year, our federal and state governments together spent over $606 Billion on Medicare and Medicaid expenses, with expenses expected to rise in the future; 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? A. The National Commission on Health Care is a ten-member, bipartisan commission that will conduct an in-depth study of our Nation’s entire health care system and develop comprehensive proposals to solve: (1) The growing number of uninsured; (2) The rising costs of health care; (3) The impact of rising health care costs and health insurance premiums on individuals; (4) The impact of rising health care costs on small and large American businesses and their ability to compete globally; (5) The lack of access to quality, affordable health care; and (6) The factors that impede the delivery of quality health care. 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? A. Within 12 months of its formation, the Commission will report to Congress and the President its findings on health care reform. The Commission may use a variety of tools to develop its recommendations, including holding regional and/or national meetings and hearings and consulting with a wide array of health care experts and providers, among others. Once the Report is issued, Congress may hold hearings. It is anticipated that Commission’s recommendations will form the basis of legislative proposals in much the same way that 9/11 Commission’s recommendations were enacted by Congress. Q. Will the Commission actually solve health care problems? A. At the present time, there are no comprehensive proposals to reform the health care system. There are proposals that address parts of our health care system. As a result, Congress chips away at pieces of a massive problem. 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? The members of the bipartisan commission will be selected by the President of the United States and the Republican and Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives and United States Senate, resulting in a bipartisan commission of 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats. The selected commission members are expected to be elder statesmen and women with diverse backgrounds in government service, health care services and administration, insurance, business, labor, public administration, and academia. Q. How will this Commission differ from others? A. Our health care system is large, fragmented, and complex. There are currently a number of health-related commissions that address various parts of our health care system, such as Medicaid, Medicare or health information technology. Although these commissions are useful and necessary, they address only parts of the overall health care system. The National Commission on Health Care will undertake a review and develop reform proposals to coordinate and address problems with respect to the entire health care system. The Commission will build on the work of other commissions to develop and refine comprehensive reform. For example, the Commission will complement the Wyden/Hatch “Health Care that works for all Americans Commission” by using feedback on what Americans want out of a health care system to further refine legislative proposals and garner legislative support for health care reform. # # #