"Every Minnesotan, and every American, needs to have quality, affordable health care. We must have universal access to essential health care services, and we must ensure that health care is affordable for everyone. This is both a moral and economic imperative. If we don't get control of health care costs, we will never get control of our future."
Our country is currently embroiled in a bitter debate about health care reform, even though most Americans agree that the status quo is not working and our system must be fixed. In this debate R.T. believes we should focus on a few values. First, people should never lose access to health care if they change their job or get sick. Second, health care must be affordable. It is completely unacceptable that half of all personal bankruptcies and half of all home foreclosures are due in part to the high cost of health care coverage. Third, everyone needs to take responsibility for lowering health care costs. As long as we have employer-based health insurance in this country, employers need to take responsibility for providing coverage for their employees or paying into a fund for health care coverage.
Out of control health care costs are killing jobs, damaging our global competitiveness, and driving up the cost of state and local government. We won't change this until, as a first step, everyone contributes and everyone is covered. R.T. believes strongly that people should have the choice of a public-option health care plan. The competition provided by a public option will help to force down costs, expand choice and help keep insurance companies honest. It will contribute to more efficiency in the system and help reduce the burden on small business.
As Governor, R.T. will focus on health education, primary care and preventative care so that individuals can take more responsibility for their own health.
R.T. will work with Minnesota's congressional delegation to make sure that Minnesota's successes on controlling costs and expanding coverage don't penalize us in federal health care reform. He will push for universal health care in Minnesota, starting with universal coverage for kids.
R.T. will also keep up the pressure to get control of health care costs. Governor Pawlenty seems to think that we can legislate away cost increases simply by cutting budgets. All this accomplishes is shifting costs to another part of the system - the emergency room, or worse, people delaying health care until they get sicker. Health care costs are crippling family, business and government budgets. R.T. knows we won't be able to make important investments in jobs and opportunity if we don't address the root causes of this cost growth. R.T. will find ways to reduce administrative costs, find efficiencies - like electronic medical records - that reduce costs and improve care and focus on prevention and early intervention.
Reforming health care is both a moral and economic imperative. In the world's richest country, R.T. thinks it is morally wrong for people to suffer with illness and disease because they can't afford health care. And in the world's richest country, it makes no sense to cripple business and the public sector with skyrocketing health care costs.
