Mark Hatfield: “Finally Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to remind my colleagues of where we ended the 103d…”

“Finally Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to remind my colleagues of where we ended the 103d Congress--on an issue near and dear to all of us,--health care. At the end of last session, when it became apparent that comprehensive health care reform would not pass, I joined my colleague Senator Graham of Florida in introducing a health care reform proposal with a different approach--the Health Innovation Partnership Act. Rather than federalizing health care, this bill would encourage the States to innovate and help build the best approaches to addressing our health care problems--a return to federalism. The purpose of this bill is to give States incentives to innovate in the area of health care by simplifying and expediting the waiver process and providing limited Federal funding to assist them in meeting three Federal goals. These goals are: expanding access, controlling costs, and maintaining quality health care. I mention this today because I see the Health Innovation Partnership Act as the cornerstone of my flexibility agenda and I intend to join Senator Graham in introducing this bill again by the end of the month. Also included within this bill is another of my major priorities which I will reintroduce--the national fund for health research. With the focus now on other issues, the problems of our health care system have fallen from attention. However, the problems have not gone away.”