Richard Burr: “This is a crucial debate that this country needs to have, this institution needs to have. More importantly, we are at a…”

“This is a crucial debate that this country needs to have, this institution needs to have. More importantly, we are at a point where we have to stop talking about what we are going to do and actually start doing something. The Senator from Oklahoma has stated it very well. What we can do is bring a higher level of care to all Americans--not just some Americans, to all Americans. Through that effort, all Americans receive a financial benefit. Our system prospers because we are able to take care of more, and we are able to provide an unlimited opportunity in the future because we unleash innovation and technology in health care. I have wondered what it would be like if we had innovation at the same level in health care as, say, in cell phones; that we would have a new platform every 6 years, and that platform would provide an array of opportunities to us that we are not forced to take, but they are available to us if, in fact, we want them. Health care has been starved of innovation, in large measure because it treats every American differently. This is the first real opportunity for universal coverage, universal access, where every American has an opportunity at the best coverage available.”