WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, oversaw a committee mark-up today of The Affordable Health Choices Act. Dodd was asked by Chairman Edward Kennedy to serve as his chief deputy for health reform.

 

"Today is an historic day.  No issue affects more Americans.  In fact, there is not a single American who doesn't have a stake in the success of our work.  No issue is more of a moral imperative.  In the richest country in the world, you shouldn't have to be well-off to get well," said Dodd. "With this bill, the Affordable Health Care Choices Act, we will protect people's choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans; reduce costs for families and businesses; and assure affordable, high-quality healthcare for every American."

 

Full Text of [Senator] Dodd's Introduction, As Prepared for Delivery:

 

Today, we begin the markup of the Affordable Health Care Choices Act.  Though he is not here with us in person, make no mistake: we are still led by our Chairman, my friend, Senator Kennedy.  His lifelong quest has been to ensure that no American, regardless of where they live or what they earn, be denied affordable, high-quality health care.  And I know he wishes he could be here today.

 

I talked to the Chairman earlier today. He's doing good; sounded strong; and said he'll be watching us on C-Span. He also wanted me to remind everyone that people are depending on us to get this done.  All across the country families are struggling to pay medical bills and provide for their families. The time for action is now.

 

It is appropriate that this is Senator Kennedy's bill.  For decades, Congress has struggled to reform our health care system, and for the last forty years, Senator Kennedy has led the fight.

 

Today is an historic day.  No issue affects more Americans.  In fact, there is not a single American who doesn't have a stake in the success of our work.  No issue is more of a moral imperative.  In the richest country in the world, you shouldn't have to be well-off to get well.

 

Imagine two children in Connecticut.  One child's parents are lucky enough to have good jobs with adequate health coverage.  He gets to see a doctor.  The other's folks have fallen on tough times, and layoffs have cost the family not just their income, but their insurance.  They can't take their child to see a doctor.  We cannot accept a health care system in which those children are not both treated with the same care.  When a family can't afford to take their child to see a doctor, that is simply wrong – and we have a moral imperative to act.

 

When a small business owner finds himself having to choose between the welfare of his employees and the survival of his business, that is simply wrong – and we have a moral imperative to act.

 

When a grandmother who can't afford the prescriptions she needs to stay well has to cut her pills in half, that is simply wrong – and we have a moral imperative to act.

 

And when millions of American families – working hard and playing by the rules in the wealthiest, most advanced nation in the world – lie awake at night fearing that one heart attack, one car accident, one cancer diagnosis could mean not just medical hardship but economic ruin, that is simply wrong – and we have a moral imperative to act!

 

Our legacy – the legacy of those who sit in service to the American people at this moment in history – will be defined by whether we are able to act.  When our constituents judge us, when historians judge us – let them say that despite our political disagreements and different perspectives, we came together in recognition of this moral imperative and we took action.

 

I encourage robust debate.  I encourage creative thinking and new ideas.  But at this moment in our nation's history, when so many have fallen through the cracks and so many more are teetering on the edge, I will not accept failure.  Senator Kennedy will not accept failure.  And neither will the American people.

 

Just as no issue is more important, no issue has been more difficult for the Congress to address.  Presidents since Harry Truman have recognized the importance of reforming our health care system, but the issues involved are complex and the political realities difficult.

 

This time is different.  Groups and individuals who, in the past, have lined up in fierce opposition are today sitting side-by-side with us, because they know what we all know – that the status quo is unacceptable, and unsustainable.

 

Some of those same longtime opponents of reform have participated in the town halls I've held throughout Connecticut for the past several months, because they know that it's only through an open and collaborative process that we'll be able to succeed.

 

This time is also different, because this time we simply don't have a choice.  The stakes are too high.  Today, we are spending more than $2 trillion each year on health care – nearly 18 percent of our GDP.  By 2040, 34 cents of every dollar we spend could be on health care.

 

And, for all our spending, one in three Americans went without insurance in 2007; more than one-third of medical procedures performed are of questionable benefit; and our nation as a whole isn't getting any healthier.

 

As a nation, we continue to lead the industrialized world in infant mortality; adult diseases that were once never seen in children are becoming more prevalent, especially as the rates of childhood obesity continue to climb; and we have failed to prioritize prevention and wellness, choosing instead to pay more to treat a disease that should have been prevented in the first place.

 

Make no mistake about it, the current path of our health care system is not only unacceptable – it's unsustainable. Inaction on health care comes at too high a price for American families.  Premiums and out-of-pocket costs for individuals and families alike continue to skyrocket, increasing more than eighty percent in the past ten years.

 

Meanwhile, nearly 50 million Americans are paying off medical debt.  Nearly half of all foreclosures and more than three out of every five bankruptcies are caused by high medical bills.

 

We know that health reform is a difficult issue.  If it were easy, we would have reformed our country's health care system years ago to assure quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans. But we owe it to our citizens to bring about the change they need so desperately.

 

If Chairman Kennedy were here, I know he'd be saying, "let's roll up our sleeves and get down to work." So, let's get to that.

 

The bill we are marking up today is the product of a year's worth of work by members and staff on both sides of the aisle, not to mention decades worth of study, advocacy, and experience on the part of the health care providers, patients, and experts whose input we are grateful for.

 

When we began this process, we started to a blank page.  We heard each other's ideas and then put pen to paper.  Throughout this process we've incorporated many disparate viewpoints and strove to find consensus wherever we could.  With this bill, the Affordable Health Care Choices Act, we will protect people's choice of doctors, hospitals, and insurance plans; reduce costs for families and businesses; and assure affordable, high-quality healthcare for every American.

 

Our goal is also to strengthen what works and fix what doesn't. If you like what you have, you can keep it.  If you like your doctor, you're going to be able to keep that doctor.  If you like your insurance, no one is going to make you change it. If you don't, you'll finally have affordable options available to you.  In my view, that must include a public health insurance option in addition to private options.

 

The guarantee we'll make to Americans will be that no longer will someone with a pre-existing condition such as a heart attack, cancer, or even being the victim of domestic violence, be prohibited from obtaining insurance.  Availability and renewability of coverage will be guaranteed and health insurance plans will be prohibited from establishing lifetime or annual limits on benefits.

 

This bill focuses on the development of quality measures that will assess health outcomes, the coordination of care, the safety of care, and the appropriate use of health care resources.

 

With this bill we will transform the current system by encouraging prevention and wellness.  Establishing an investment fund will ensure adequate resources for prevention-centered research.  And the creation of a national prevention and health promotion strategy will focus federal attention on improving the health of Americans.

 

We will address our workforce shortages by encouraging primary care physicians to practice in medically underserved areas. And we will assist the more than 10 million Americans in need of long term services and supports.

 

Now is the time to bring about this change in our health care system.  Our families, our businesses, and our government are struggling with skyrocketing costs. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

 

In the words of the President earlier this week, "when it comes to the cost of our health care, the status quo is unsustainable.  Reform is not a luxury, but a necessity."

 

We cannot fail.  We must not fail.