This morning I met with RI Business Group on Health to discuss what we can do in Rhode Island to address the urgent need for health care reform and cost containment.
This local discussion happens to coincide with President Obama’s health care summit today, when all eyes will be on Washington as he brings together Democratic and Republican leadership to hammer out a path to passage of federal health care reform.
I’m glad to see the president tackle runaway health insurance premium hikes by proposing the federal government—along with state insurance regulators such as our own Christopher Koller—have power to reject outrageous premium increases. In fact, the federal government is looking at the Rhode Island model in drafting their plan.
Health care reform must happen in our state as well. Rhode Islanders need a system that provides high-quality care at a price they can afford. And we need federal health care reform to pass if we aim to broaden insurance access to the 100,000-plus Rhode Islanders currently without an insurance card.
But we also need a system that works well for all of us. Steps to make health care delivery more efficient and that focus on the quality of care can and should happen locally—and I will be leading the charge on that front in the coming months.
Now is the time to make reform happen—on both the local and national level.