[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHY AMERICANS ACT

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I stand today for the 47 million 
Americans who are uninsured and looking to Congress to address an issue 
that has reached critical proportions.
  I stand for the millions of Americans who are underinsured and cannot 
afford to pay the difference between their health costs and their 
meager coverage.
  I stand for the millions of Americans who have lost their health 
coverage along with their jobs.
  And, I stand for the small businesses that cannot afford to cover the 
costs of their employees.
  That is why I am joining Senators Ron Wyden, Bob Bennett, and many of 
my other colleagues in taking the first steps towards a bicameral, 
bipartisan, comprehensive solution for all called the Healthy Americans 
Act.
  The Healthy Americans Act recognizes that our health care system is 
fundamentally broken and requires Congress, the President, and the 
Federal Government as a whole to engage in a serious dialogue about our 
country's health care priorities and the solutions that can make those 
priorities attainable.
  The Healthy Americans Act guarantees affordable, high quality, 
permanent health coverage for all Americans. It provides benefits equal 
to those available to Members of Congress, and gives incentives for 
individuals to make a commitment to prevention, wellness, and disease 
management.
  It changes the crumbling foundation on which we have built our 
system, challenges the status quo, and makes a commitment to the right 
of all Americans to live their lives without fear of losing, or not 
being able to afford health coverage.
  This solution is affordable for us. In fact, according to independent 
studies, this piece of legislation is fully paid for using the $2.2 
trillion currently spent on health care in America and saves $1.48 
trillion over 10 years.
  The benefit to Americans will be profound.
  The Healthy Americans Act changes the way we think of health care in 
America through the modernization of fundamental relationships in our 
current system. By redefining the relationship between employers, 
employees, and health insurance, we give the American people a choice 
when it comes to the coverage, the cost, and the benefits they need for 
their families and their health.
  The Healthy Americans Act marks the beginning of a comprehensive, 
bipartisan effort to health care reform. There will be many challenging 
issues to consider as my colleagues and I work to provide every 
American with quality coverage. These include concerns over the 
potential disruption that such a profound change to the system would 
have on those with existing coverage, as well as the lack of a publicly 
sponsored health plan option.
  I hope to work with Senators Wyden, Bennett, and my Senate colleagues 
in ensuring that this legislation addresses those concerns, as well as 
others that may be raised in the future.
  Although complex, the health care crisis is one that we cannot afford 
to ignore any longer. Together, we can turn the health care system in 
American into a transparent, affordable, efficient and healthy system 
that can help those that need it most.

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