Susan Collins: “My hope is that we can come together on this important issue. It is important, and I think it is unfortunate that we…”

“My hope is that we can come together on this important issue. It is important, and I think it is unfortunate that we didn't get through a conference on the Patients' Bill of Rights last year. Then we would have had these protections already in place. It is a shame that last year when we had agreement on 90 percent of the bill, we didn't enact it. Senator Breaux of Louisiana and I suggested just that approach. So I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Just at noontime today, I had a discussion with Senator McCain and he indicated an openness to solving some of the problems I have outlined in my statement. ... I know those are goals we share, and I hope we can indeed work closely together.”