Ron Wyden: “for almost 13 years, it has been considered politically dangerous to come to the floor of the Senate and describe a…”

“for almost 13 years, it has been considered politically dangerous to come to the floor of the Senate and describe a fresh approach to fixing health care in America. I am going to do that this morning because I do not believe it is morally right for the Senate to duck on health care any longer. During the Senate's long absence, the skyrocketing costs of health care have hit American communities like a wrecking ball. PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that health care premiums will rise 11 percent this year, several times the rate of inflation. In America, with the world's best doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other providers, many with health coverage believe they are just one more rate hike away from losing the coverage they have, and more than 40 million Americans have little or no coverage at all. Just about all of us are baffled about how to purchase the health care that is best for us. In fact, it is easier to get information about the cost and quality of washing machines than it is to get information about health care that can mean life or death. I believe the combination of cost hikes, increases in chronic illness, our aging society, and the disadvantage American employers face in global markets, where their competitors spend little or nothing for health, means our current health system cannot be sustained. Since health care has been poked and prodded for so many years, I believe it is time for diagnosis and treatment.…”