Ron Wyden: “I thank my friend. The fact that Senator Hatch and Senator Kennedy, in particular, have prosecuted this cause of…”

“I thank my friend. The fact that Senator Hatch and Senator Kennedy, in particular, have prosecuted this cause of improving health care for our citizens has been so important. It is going to pay off, I hope, this week with resounding support for the children's health bill. I want to spend a few minutes tonight talking about the possibility, with a strong victory for the cause of children's health, about the prospects of moving on from there. I wish to pick up on the remarks of the distinguished Senator from Iowa, Mr. Grassley. He has been very gracious in terms of working with me and looking at the variety of options for broader reform. And I appreciate the conversation that Senator Grassley had just a few days ago with the White House. What a lot of us are saying to the White House is we think you have some valid points with respect to the broader issue of health care reform. I happen to think that Democrats have been spot on, absolutely correct on the coverage issue. We have to cover everybody because if we do not cover everybody, the people who are uninsured shift their bills to people who are insured. But Republicans have had a very valid point as well that there ought to be private options, that there ought to be choices, that you need to have a strong delivery system with American health care in the private sector. That is why I made mention of the emphasis in the children's health bill on the private sector options.”