Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, just 6 months into his Presidency, President Bush has worked with the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Fletcher) to bring 6 years of gridlock to an end. I remember when I met the gentleman from Georgia in the autumn of 1994 down in Georgia; he was running his first campaign. As we went around his district that day, his constituents were eager for health care reform, and I think Americans today are just as eager for reform of the health care system. Families are worried about soaring costs, they are worried about declining access, and they are worried about access to quality health care. I think they want a reasonable solution. Seven years later, families are still waiting for that solution. The number of uninsured Americans remains very high, at some 43 million today, and health care costs are on the rise once again. Cost and access remain the top two health care concerns of most Americans. But Americans today are also concerned about the quality of coverage they receive for managed care, and they want a comprehensive solution to the problems that they see each and every day. But as much as they want a solution, they want a balanced approach that will let patients hold their health plans accountable without sending costs spiraling into the stratosphere and increasing the ranks of the uninsured.”