“This bill is meant to address the health care needs of all
Americans, but I believe it is especially necessary for Americans
already without health coverage,” said Wyden. “Forty-one
million of our citizens desperately need a path out of the insecurity
and desperation that comes with being uninsured, and I believe the
Health Care that Works for All Americans Act can provide the right
roadmap.” “Our bill will
stimulate fruitful discussion and debate on how we can really effect
improvements to our nation’s health care system — improvements
that can be accepted at all levels, from communities on up to the
Federal government,” Hatch said.
The Wyden-Hatch concept of a national discussion
on health care and guaranteed action in Congress is gaining support
from a growing, diverse coalition of organizations including:
(Click on the following to view letters of support)
* AFL-CIO
* American Academy of Ophthalmology
* American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
* American
Hospice Foundation
* American
Public Health Association
* Americans
for Better Care of the Dying
* Association of Asian
Pacific Community Health Organizations
* Federation
of American Hospitals
* Disease Management Association of America
* Families USA
* Health
Care Leadership Council
* National
Consumers League
* U.S. Chamber
of Commerce
By giving people across the nation a voice
in the process, the “Health Care that Works for All Americans
Act” would reverse the Washington-based health reform process
that has failed to produce meaningful reform in the past 50 years.
Through open, public community meetings, the bill seeks to make
citizen input the cornerstone of the reform process, giving citizens
an opportunity to make hard decisions and voice their priorities
for how to reshape the health care system. It would also guarantee
a vote by Congress on the recommendations that result from the discussions.
Based on the citizen input at community meetings
and online, a Citizens’ Health Care Working Group with 26
members representing a broad range of health care perspectives will
develop recommendations to Congress for reforming the health care
system. These recommendations must be rooted in the public participation
process and the public must be given an opportunity to comment on
the Working Group’s recommendations. The Working Group will
then present to Congress and the President the revised recommendations,
including any proposed legislation to implement those recommendations.
The Wyden-Hatch bill is written to guarantee a vote in Congress
on the proposed recommendations within three years of the enactment
of the Wyden-Hatch Act.
“We must get past partisan politics,”
Hatch said. “While those in Washington blame each other for
doing nothing, the American public suffers. The costs of gridlock
are simply too great — economically, socially, and morally.
Something has to be done, sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t believe America is satisfied
with the raw deal that 41 million Americans live with every day.
It’s time to create a health care system where no one has
to slip through the cracks, and Senator Hatch and I are committed
to making that happen with a guarantee that the people’s health
choices will be heard in the Congress,” Wyden said.
Upon its introduction, the Health Care that
Works for All Americans Act will be referred to the Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee for consideration.
###
|