Click to return to the home page.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
MIDLANDS VOICES: NELSON'S STRONG LEADERSHIP CAN BRIDGE HEALTH REFORM

Source: Omaha World Herald

For the past few months, Americans have been watching carefully as Congress has drafted legislation to reform our nation’s health care system. Recently, lawmakers have witnessed a pushback from voters who believe the process of reform has been rushed and that we may create a system that doesn’t meet their needs.

Lawmakers and the Obama administration must understand that because changes to our health care system would affect every single American, we each must have the opportunity to fully understand and question the changes being proposed.

Nebraska is fortunate that among our responsible delegation, the senior member, Ben Nelson, plays an important centrist role in the U.S. Senate. He’s not swayed by rhetoric or scare tactics. He brings common sense and facts to the table to yield solutions.

Let me be clear, though. We should all feel the urgency to find meaningful health care reform. With spending on health care exceeding $2.4 trillion — or 17 percent of the gross domestic product — and outcomes that don’t begin to rival countries that spend far less on health care, the system must be fixed. It simply isn’t sustainable.

Alegent Health continues to advocate with passion that systemic transformation is necessary and doable and that there is currently enough money in the system to provide care for all Americans.

Providers like us can improve the quality of care we deliver without increasing costs. By using the body of medical research that suggests there is a right way to treat various diseases, we are able to develop protocols that reduce redundancies and waste.

But unless we find a way to more fully engage individuals in their health and health care, the cost of our national health care system will continue to be unsustainable.
Policy-makers need to recognize this and develop elements of reform that encourage consumers to take more ownership of their health and give them the tools they need to wisely spend their health care dollars. Otherwise, reform will fail.

Special interests are spending millions of dollars on scare tactics to stall or even derail reform efforts. At Alegent Health, it is our hope that all Nebraskans will see these efforts for what they are and rise above them.
As a health care system engaged heavily in the dialogue about what must be fixed, we think it’s time that Americans set aside the politics of labeling ideas as “Democrat” or “Republican” and instead calmly discuss the good ideas that can create meaningful reform that works. And, we must do so in a way that gives all the information they need to understand and ultimately embrace the changes being proposed.

We simply don’t have a choice. We must reform our nation’s health care system. It is unsustainable in its current form, and if we don’t improve our system, it will break the back of America’s economy.

Nebraskans are fortunate that Sen. Nelson has a strong voice in this debate. And we are encouraged by his willingness to listen, to move judiciously but expeditiously and to seek forums to bring disparate views into meaningful dialogue and discussion. He sets an example for other politicians across the country about how to work together to solve problems.

We need his leadership, as well as the support of our entire Washington delegation, to find meaningful and successful solutions. This won’t be easy — it if were, we would have reformed our health care system long ago. But as a democracy, we must all engage in the discussion to find solutions.

Nebraska is very fortunate to have representatives in Washington, D.C., who will listen and work together in the best interests of all Nebraskans. We thank Ben Nelson and all our representatives for their service. We know that the votes they cast on this important issue could forever change the face of our economy.

###

Search:   Health Care, Nelson in the News