Governor Corzine's Statement on President Bush's State of the Union Address

Governor Corzine's Statement on President Bush's State of the Union Address

Governor Jon S. Corzine, Chairman of the National Governors' Association's Health and Human Services Committee, tonight released the following statement on the healthcare proposal put forward in President Bush's State of the Union Address:

"I welcome the President's focus on the ever-growing crisis of the uninsured and underinsured in our country. The 46 million uninsured individuals, including 1.2 million persons here in New Jersey, deserve our immediate attention. The President's comments are helpful, and I am certain other governors would agree this should be a starting point for a bipartisan discussion to finally address this pressing issue.

"The President's willingness to provide funding to states experimenting at ways to cover the uninsured is a positive step, as long as it is not done at the expense of the successful SCHIP, Medicaid and Medicare programs. I have great appreciation for the ability of state governments to tackle challenging problems in new and innovative ways, and we would certainly be open to working with the Administration and our Congressional delegation to take advantage of this program. With that said, this plan does not and should not relieve the federal government of its responsibility to find a larger solution to this problem.

"While I have never believed that the tax code is the best way to help the uninsured and the underinsured in our country, this is a national problem that requires leadership at the national level. It is beyond time to act. We must now keep our eye on the ball as we develop proposals to address this growing crisis."

http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/approved/20070123b.html