Washington – Following the President’s prime-time news conference on health care, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln tonight said she shares the President’s goal of achieving meaningful health care reform and is working from her seat on the Senate Finance Committee to craft a deficit-neutral proposal that will stabilize health care costs and offer affordable and quality coverage for all Arkansans.
“After working my entire public career on national health care reform, I want to make sure we get this right now that real change seems possible,” Lincoln said. “I don’t want to squander this opportunity by allowing debate about an arbitrary deadline to take precedence over the substance of good public policy. Health care reform must build upon what works and improve inefficiencies for the benefit of all Arkansans. I believe we can expand health care access for the uninsured and stabilize health care costs for everyone without raising taxes on Arkansas’s working families and small businesses. The Senate Finance Committee is charged with the responsibility of paying for health care reform, and I am committed to crafting a bill that is fully paid for and does not add to the deficit. Skyrocketing health care costs are hurting our economy, our families, and our businesses and I agree that the time has come for responsible action. But if it takes a few extra weeks to construct the best, long-term health care policy for the people of Arkansas and the rest of America, that’s what I’m prepared to do.”
