FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Contact: Brian Cook (202) 225-3202

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, prepared the following opening remarks for today's hearing on Lessons Learned from State Health Initiatives:

“We’ve often felt that one of the ways to achieve affordable health care for all in the United States is to have several of our major states lead the way. The federal government would then be called in to see that comprehensive reform would combine the state’s efforts and the federal efforts to get us to a national plan. The United States would then finally join the rest of the industrialized world in ensuring that everyone has access to affordable health care.

“Unfortunately, given the state experience to date, it seems unlikely that any one state will set the basis for the nation. Today’s witnesses include experts and officials who have been at the forefront of state reform efforts. I believe we will hear that it is very difficult for them to move forward one at a time and achieve complete uniform affordable coverage for every resident. However, a few states have been able to make remarkable gains in reducing the number of uninsured, and many are hampered by numerous issues. State balanced budget requirements, volatile financing, the need for federal waivers from ERISA and other federal laws -- all of those are challenging states’ programs.

“Canada achieved universal health care just as I described, one province at a time. But, that was 40 years ago and we face a different situation. We have a much larger and more diverse population, health care costs have risen tremendously, and special interests have grown ever more entrenched and committed to maintaining the status quo.

“So while we have made progress here, states have been trying health care reforms for the last four decades and we still have relatively few successes in those that have tried, and many states that haven’t even attempted. It seems there will be always be states that are unable to implement these reforms on their own for one reason or another.

“Today, we’ll hear from a panel of experts that include state officials and those who study and aid state policymakers. I look forward to hearing their testimony and we hope we can learn from their experiences, both the successes and failures, as we begin to consider health care reform for our nation.

“My premise may still hold true, that the states will lead the way and bring the federal government kicking and screaming to the table. But there’s an important caveat. Instead of needing several states to achieve universal health care, we simply need several key states who are trying to meet that goal and can show us the way that, through a state and federal partnership, we can achieve that goal.

“I think we’ll hear today that there is no lack of commitment to health care reform at the state level, but that states hit roadblocks in every way. So I look forward to the testimony of our witnesses today.”