Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15), one of the leaders in Congress on the issue of health care reform, issued the following statement today after attending the White House Health Reform Summit this afternoon.

“I am honored that President Obama would bring me to the table with some of the best minds in the nation on the issue of health care reform. It was my privilege to sit down with supporters of many different ideas, united by one common goal – to provide quality, affordable health care coverage for all Americans.

“In the House, we begin next week with a series of hearings on the issue of health reform in the Committee on Energy & Commerce.  In concurrence with the hearings, I am continuing to hold meetings with stakeholders, my colleagues in Congress, and other health care leaders as we prepare for legislative action.  With the American public hungry for action and change and President Obama in the White House the time for action on health care reform is now.

“The President has also taken a bold step by setting aside more than $630 billion dollars to pay for health care reform and now Congress must act to craft legislation.  There are some who are afraid of a large price tag, especially in these times of great economic peril, but I encourage the naysayers to look at how health care reform can be a critical component of our economic recovery.  Health care costs are a major factor in our current fiscal recession.  The high cost of health care causes a bankruptcy every thirty seconds.  By the end of the year, it will cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes.  Premiums have grown four times faster than wages over the last eight years, and in each of these years, a million more Americans have lost their health insurance.  In my home state of Michigan, where unemployment is the highest in the nation at 11.6%, health care costs are bankrupting companies and adding more people to the ranks of the uninsured.  Every day two people in Michigan die because they lack health insurance.  It is a moral outrage and time for the debate on whether or not we need reform is over and now we must act.

“We must now take ideas and put them to paper.  We must try to learn from the failed efforts of the past.  We must ensure that all interested stakeholders, both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, and more importantly the American people, are engaged and involved in creating a better plan.”