Strengthening the health-care bill
Column by Mark Warner
Saturday evening, my Senate colleagues and I were given an opportunity to take the next step in fixing our nation’s health-care system.
I voted in favor of bringing the health-care reform bill to the Senate floor because I want an opportunity to work on strengthening and improving the legislation.
If we do not work toward real health-care reform, families will face rising premiums, employers will remain at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace, and federal budget deficits will go from bad to worse.
Thus far, only those senators on the Health and Finance committees have had an opportunity to shape this legislation. Now that the bill is on the floor, the rest of us in the Senate will have an opportunity to play a constructive role in making this legislation better.
I am focused on bending the cost curve and delivery-system reform. For weeks now, I have been working with several of my colleagues on a series of potential floor amendments that we believe will further reduce the cost of health care, strengthen transparency and encourage innovation to fix the way we pay for health care.
Saturday’s vote was only a starting point that allows us to continue working to include these amendments in the final legislation. I will only support a final bill if I am convinced it will lower the deficit, drive down health-care costs over the long term, and improve the value and quality of the health care Virginians receive.
In the coming weeks, I look forward to hearing from you on how we can strengthen this bill, so we can bring meaningful reform to our health-care system.
Mark Warner represents Virginia in the United States Senate.
What’s wrong with democrats? They voted for bank and auto bailouts but, they won’t help the uninsured? without a public option it’s not health reform stop acting like repubicans and use the power we gave you and help us or we might as well put republicans back in office. Stop being wishy washy and get the bill passed with a strong public option.
Sen. Warner:
My old company, which had a very good health care insurance plan with several companies, has now merged with a larger one. We are getting an even better health insurance plan for the same or less money.
Competition is one of the keys to cutting health costs and insurance costs. The public/government option will kill this ability of insurance companies to compete in the open market, which you claim to support.
Let’s see what the next 2,000 page waste of trees bill has in it, or hidden in it. That is where the danger of this government’s health care plans lie. The implied options and powers are getting to the “authoritarian” stage as in if you don’t have health insurance, you can be fined up to $5,000. If you don’t pay the fine, you can go to jail for possibly up to 5 years, a felony sentence. This is not the “choice” we hoped for.
If this isn’t authoritarian, Sen. Warner, what is?