Sen. Salazar's Opening Remarks at the Colorado Health Care Summit

Today, United States Senator welcomed leaders in the health care reform debate from across Colorado and across the country to Denver to take part in the 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit. The 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit is the culminating event of Senator Salazar's 2008 Health Care tour, which took him to over thirty-one Colorado counties to discuss the condition of our nation's health care system with elected officials, business owners, health care providers, and community members.

The full text of Senator Salazar's opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, and his introduction of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, the keynote speaker at the event, is below:

Opening Remarks, 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit

Good morning, and welcome to the 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit. Thank you all for taking the time to lend your expertise to what I am sure will be a productive discussion of the current state of our health care system and what innovative solutions we can find to fix it.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of health policy, we would be wise to remember the advice of Thomas Jefferson. In 1792 he wrote that: "a nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society." We share an ethic of collective responsibility in this country. An ethic that tells us we must care for our brothers and sisters so that we, too, as individuals, can prosper. This covenant has sustained our nation for generations - through wars on foreign shores, through periods of injustice, and through tough economic times at home.

Today, our nation's health care system is in crisis. It is nothing short of a generational challenge that touches every aspect of American life - from the competitiveness of our businesses, to the compact we have with our veterans, to the time we get to share with our families and loved ones. This crisis affects all Americans - rich and poor, old and young, Democrats and Republicans. It is an American problem that demands an American solution. No one person and no one party can solve it alone. It requires us to come together, as Jefferson advised, to act as "one moral person."

Over the last few months, I traveled across Colorado to discuss the state of our nation's health care system with elected officials, business owners, health care providers, and community members. In 31 communities across the state, from Hinsdale County to Phillips County, in small towns and along the Front Range, I saw the real-world consequences of a health care system that is fundamentally broken. Parents of sick children can't afford to get their kids the care they need. Men and women alike feel powerless to conquer illness in the face of the many obstacles they face when seeking treatment. Small businesses are forced to cut back jobs and benefits due to the ballooning costs of covering their employees. Some of our nation's largest companies now list health care for their employees as their biggest expense.

The stories I heard during my travels are, I am sure, the stories you hear in your clinics, in your emergency rooms, and in your communities. These are not statistics, but real people - real people who deserve better.

Before we begin today, I want to share with you just a few of those stories I have heard, told by Coloradans who know the health care crisis all too well …

We are here today because of Sharon Bohnstadt, Leiah Cooper, Brian Hart, Gena Trujillo, and the millions of Americans who our health care system is failing. Our system, if we can call it that, is inefficient, chaotic, and in dire need of reform.

In 1945, President Harry Truman recognized the need for a fundamental overhaul of our health care system. He told the country: "we should resolve now that the health of this Nation is a national concern." The health of all Americans, he said, "deserves the help of all the Nation." He was right. It is a shame that we stand here, 60 years later, without having taken the type of action that was needed then and is needed now.

We are here today to talk about innovative solutions. How do we get a handle on the skyrocketing costs of treatment? What is the best approach to ensuring every American has meaningful coverage and access to high-quality care? Which programs are working, and which require reform? How do we move toward widespread electronic record-keeping? Are there strategies that will work to make the system easier to navigate for consumers? What role should government play in all of this?

These and other questions have been central to America's health care debate since the days of President Truman, and they do not lend themselves to easy answers. But let us ask them again today. Let us share our experiences and our ideas. And let us work together to lay the foundation for comprehensive health care reform in the months and years ahead.

We have a distinguished panel of speakers here today representing the diversity of stakeholders in the health care field. We will hear from providers, insurers, consumer advocates, administrators, and policy experts. They will each bring important perspectives to our discussion. I look forward to their presentations.

But first, I am honored to have my good friend and colleague, Senator Tom Daschle, here today to deliver the Summit's keynote address. A native of South Dakota, Senator Daschle has devoted his life to public service. He was an Intelligence Officer in the Air Force, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years, and a United States Senator for eighteen more. In 1994, he was elected as the Leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and served as Majority Leader from 2001-2004. Throughout his tenure in Congress, Senator Daschle distinguished himself as a student of policy, an effective legislator, and, above all, as a patriot who put the interests of his country first.

His post-Senate career has been equally remarkable. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University, and is the co-founder of the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on some of the most pressing public policy issues of our time.

In each of these capacities, Senator Daschle has been one of America's leading voices on health policy and a strong advocate for health care reform. His book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis, not only identifies the many problems plaguing our system, but also sets out new ideas for reform and how to put them into action.

Now, Senator Daschle is the head of President-elect Obama's Health Policy Team, and is leading the effort to put the President-elect's vision of providing affordable, quality health care for all into action. He brings to that position a wealth of health policy expertise and legislative experience, as well as a proven ability to build consensus about policy that works for all Americans. I could not think of a better person for the job.

He is a great American, and a great person. I couldn't be more pleased to have him with us today to get the discussion going. Please join me in welcoming Senator Tom Daschle.

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