The President promised that his plan to reform the health care system would reduce premiums by $2,500 for individuals.

That would be helpful.

If we do not seize the advantage of this opportunity to address it through setting up the exchanges, running them well in a cost-effective way, getting better health care results for less money, we have really missed a terrific opportunity.

We ought to be able to agree with Governors and States to implement these exchanges, to implement them well.

I said from the start it is not perfect, but it is certainly better than what we have been doing, spending more money for health care, not getting better results, and not covering everybody.

It just seemed too risky for us to move forward.

We know we need to reform those programs in ways that save some money, do not savage old people, and save the programs for the long haul.

Well, thank you.

I just want to personally thank you all for helping us to understand this better.

I am counting on that.

Matheson enthusiastically supports both of these goals.

Matheson is also strongly in favor of the increased reporting requirements for the BLM as set forth in H.R. 527.

I just do not see how it is going to work, and I do not see how it is going to work in an efficient, cost-saving way.

This is no small amount. We all know the costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices.

As we are seeing now, I had good reason to be. We are already feeling the impact of the law as the cost of insurance premiums continues to go up.

the CMS guidance document on partnership exchanges provides an aggressive time schedule of only 10 months between the plan application process and the first day of coverage.

If the point of the health care law was to reduce costs and increase access, these estimates show that it appears to have already failed.

Unfortunately, the exchanges, as designed in the law, will do neither. They will actually increase health care costs.