WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel issued the following remarks on the bipartisan meeting on health reform convened by President Obama today:
“I had really hoped that this summit would push us over the top. We are so close to ensuring that every American has access to high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs. We are so close to ensuring that hardworking Americans won’t have to worry about losing their health insurance if they lose their job or start a new business.
“We are so very close, yet differences remain. To sit here today and listen to my colleagues from Kentucky and Wyoming, you would think the American people don’t want health reform. I want my fellow New Yorkers to know they are represented here and their vocal support for these critical reforms has been registered.
“We entered this room with the understanding that we agree on 70 percent of what is in the health reform bill. If that is the case, I simply cannot understand the repeated calls by my Republican colleagues to scrap the bill and start anew. That type of rhetoric means you’ve made up your mind that we’re not going to have a health reform bill. And I don’t think that’s consistent with what the American people sent us to Congress to do.
“We talk a lot about process in Congress, and at the end of the day, the American people don’t care about process nearly as much as we do. I have no clue how big the Social Security bill was, or the Medicare bill, and I can assure you that someone who is sick and needs care doesn’t care how long the bill is that helps them get the care they need at a price they can afford.
“Our reform bill would make health insurance more affordable, cover more than 95 percent of Americans and strengthen Medicare’s solvency by more than nine years. I know my Republican colleagues would agree that ensuring every American has access to reliable health benefits is critical to our nation’s health and competitiveness, so I would hope we can start focusing on the areas where we agree and move forward together. Sickness doesn’t discriminate by political party, we should stop this partisan bickering and confine our public arguments toward constructive discussion."
