[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SOLVING THE CRISIS IN AMERICAN MEDICINE

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Forty-nine years ago, the 1960 October Harpers 
Magazine cover story was ``The Crisis in American Medicine.'' Well, we 
are still in crisis, but change is in the air.
  The facts are clear: High costs, more procedures, tests, and 
hospitalization is not better care; it is a symptom of poor care. Every 
major Nation spends less, and most have better outcomes than the United 
States.
  Getting 50 million Americans health insurance and giving the rest of 
Americans with insurance, stability, will cost more, but about half of 
this cost can be achieved by reforming the system, and having the 
government pay the balance will cost far less for business and people 
with insurance over the next 10 years than business as usual.
  With a President who gets it, a Congress listening to what the people 
want and a public plan to keep the system honest, it means that there 
won't be a cover story 50 years from now about American medicine still 
in crisis.

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