Carrie Meek: “with the Congressional Budget Office's recent estimate that national health care will increase the deficit in years to…”

“with the Congressional Budget Office's recent estimate that national health care will increase the deficit in years to come, there has been continuous debate--most of it reiteration of tired assertions--that the United States cannot afford a system which ensures access to minimal health care to all Americans. I believe that debate on the future costs of a national health care system has created a rhetorical fog in which this body has lost its original direction. When we began this debate we did not set out to create a tax decrease or to lower the deficit. Our goal was to provide access to health care within the limits of our countries fiscal ability to do so. It has always been expected that there will be some modification in financing as old programs are replaced with new ones, and as we accomplish any necessary restructuring of the health care industry. It seems to me that we are losing sight of what we have set out to accomplish. We began with the intention of creating a system which guarantees basic health care and a decent quality of life for all Americans.”