Chip Pickering: “I rise today in support of very significant legislation. Too often in this place we are faced with dilemmas and…”

“I rise today in support of very significant legislation. Too often in this place we are faced with dilemmas and difficult choices of trying to find savings that could diminish care, the quality of care, the availability, the accessibility of care. But this is actually an opportunity for us, in this Chamber, and as we go through the legislative process in the House and the Senate, to have significant savings to allow a stronger, more sustainable Medicare Medicaid health care system, that instead of reducing the quality of care, improves the quality of care, reduces errors and improves the efficiency of how health care is delivered. This is a great opportunity and it should be an opportunity of bipartisan support. I do believe that when we get to the final product, that when we finish the House and the Senate conference, that this is something where we can have broad consensus. We do not necessarily need partisan division on something that has such great promise and potential to save money, the resources that we so desperately need in our health care system, but, more importantly, to protect and promote and to heal the individuals and the lives across the country. Just coming out of Katrina, we have seen in hospitals and health clinics and community health centers across Mississippi, the loss of medical records. If we have electronic records in place, that will not happen in future storms.…”