Political Quotes

“As the gentleman also points out, no, members of the Physicians Caucus, the Doctors Caucus, were not frequently or ever consulted on this issue. But I know people--and I know, Mr. Speaker, I must refer my comments to you--who might just be casual observers of the conversation this morning and would say, Well, the two doctors are self-serving. Of course you want to be in charge, because that's the way you are. But the Governors have a big footprint in the delivery of health care in this country. Where were the Governors? Why were the Governors not down in the East Room of the White House? Why weren't the special interests, why wasn't Pharma, why weren't the insurance companies, why wasn't the Service Employees Industrial Union down at the White House making these decisions and not the Nation's Governors? That's one of the great mysteries that may never be answered, but it's a question the American people should ask themselves. Because in all 50 States in this country, the Governors have an enormous health care footprint. They're the ones that administer the State Medicaid programs. They administer the programs for their employees' health insurance. They have their State prison programs. They have an enormous interest in the cost of health care. The Governors should have been invited from the get-go. It is a travesty that they never were. It's political malpractice that the Governors were not involved in the development of this policy.”