McConnell Announces Conference-wide Health Care Reform Efforts

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday named senior members in the Republican Conference to lead health care reform efforts and promote commonsense solutions in the 111th Congress.  McConnell named Sens. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to lead the Senate Republican effort.

“Republicans believe health care reform requires input from our entire Conference and cooperation across the aisle because access to affordable quality health care is an issue that touches all Americans,” said McConnell.  “Sens. Enzi, Grassley, Gregg, and Hatch have not only been involved in every major health care discussion in recent history, they bring a range of perspectives which will be instrumental in leading the Conference to commonsense solutions.”

Sens. Enzi, Grassley, Gregg, and Hatch have begun preliminary discussions and will lead regular Conference meetings as part of Republican efforts to enact health care reform. 

Senator Mike Enzi, Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee, said,  “We have the opportunity to make access to affordable health care a reality for all Americans, and we must not let that opportunity slip away.  Republican ideas will be critical to developing bipartisan health care legislation that is fully paid for, does not expand government bureaucracies like Medicaid, and ensures that we get better value for every dollar we spend on health care.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, said, “This group is designed to help organize and coordinate efforts by Republican senators to achieve reforms that make America’s health care system affordable and accessible. Health care accounts for 16 percent of the U.S. economy, and it’s as complex as it is big.  The public deserves a rigorous effort by Congress to drive down health care costs and improve quality.  Changes to the system need to be fiscally responsible, and changes with broad-based political support will be more durable and effective.  This initiative among Republican senators will work to see that the congressional debate is inclusive and serves the interest of every American.”

Sen. Judd Gregg, Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, stated, “Providing affordable access to quality health care to all Americans is one of the most critical issues facing our nation. It is more important than ever to work in a bipartisan manner to ensure that we come up with comprehensive policies that provide real solutions to the health care challenges facing our country, our communities, our healthcare providers, and our families. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and the new Administration on comprehensive health care reform that not only provides much needed access to care for families and individuals throughout our country, but also does so in a way that ensures the long term fiscal solvency of our nation.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch, said, "Health care is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue - it is a national issue that must be resolved in a bipartisan and fiscally responsible manner. We have a responsibility to ensure that every American has access to the quality and affordable health care of their choice. By controlling costs through more efficient and quality-focused health care delivery, and by building on private sector choices, we can make this aspiration a reality." 

For more information, please visit http://mcconnell.senate.gov/.