Washington, D.C.--“I am convinced that short of a single-payer system, the best way to hold down costs and keep insurance companies in check is to include a public option. This would provide a stable, affordable insurance option to the 47 million who are uninsured. As its name suggests, this is merely an option for those who currently have no insurance, and the vast majority of Americans will be unaffected. For those who decry a ‘government takeover’ of health care, I ask them why they still support Medicare or the care provided to our veterans from the Veterans Administration. Government operated health care seems to have worked very well in those cases.

“However, today’s vote in the Senate Finance Committee was an encouraging step in the process towards the badly-needed reform, to our broken health care system. While the bill passed by that committee is far from perfect, it marks a significant moment in our nation’s history. We have now had five pertinent committees pass legislation to reform the health care system. I have great confidence that some form of change will be passed by both chambers and presented to President Obama for his signature before the end of 2009.

“I remain hopeful when a combined bill comes to the floor of the Senate, it will include the public option as earlier passed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and not included in the Finance Committee bill. Regardless, I will continue to argue for the inclusion of a robust public option in whatever bill reaches the House floor. From there, we can discuss the changes in the conference committee, and bring the American people the change they demanded in the last election.

“True healthcare reform must drive down costs and provide comprehensive, quality coverage for everyone. As a senior member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, I will continue to work to ensure this goal is accomplished. Health care reform is overdue, and we must pursue our primary objective of bringing about those important changes. Today, we are closer to this goal than ever before.”