Judd Gregg: “we are about to begin the heavy lifting on the Patient Bill of Rights Conference Committee, and I wanted to come to the…”

“we are about to begin the heavy lifting on the Patient Bill of Rights Conference Committee, and I wanted to come to the Floor of the Senate and lay out some of the key concerns and principles that should guide us in the coming month. First, I want to take a minute and compliment my colleague, Senator Nickles, for his fine work over, really, the last 3 years. He has been a dedicated leader on this issue. I am confident that as chair of the conference, he will conduct a fair and orderly process for this conference. We are ready. Many of us have worked on most of these provisions for several years. I and my Republican Senate conferees, for one, have worked over the last several months to educate ourselves on the House bill. Let me be clear. We want a substantive conference. As I have said, we have already rolled up our sleeves, and I think we can work through this complex bill and meet the deadline of completing this bill by the end of March. That is our goal and with the cooperation of every Senator and House Member on this committee, I believe we can meet this goal. The stakes are high. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that the very future of medical care in this country hinges on what we do in this next month.”