HIT THE RESTART BUTTON ON HEALTH CARE REFORM

September 9 - Congressman Zach Wamp issued the following statement in anticipation of President Barack Obama's health care reform speech to the U.S. Congress:

"Unless President Obama hits the restart button on health care reform and begins with incremental, bipartisan change, then he won't win over the American people. Rather than a radical government takeover of health care, we need incremental changes to expand coverage to more families and reduce the cost of care for everyone.

"It should be obvious now to the president that the American people don't trust Washington on big issues, especially health care. Many people are fearful that changing to a government-run health care system would cost them their current health care plan and the quality of care would diminish.

"We can build upon the current employer-based health insurance market by allowing individuals and families to purchase insurance across state lines and receive tax credits to help them pay for coverage. True health care reform needs to start with reforming the medical malpractice system, digitizing medical records and promoting preventive care to further reduce health care costs without jeopardizing current benefits.

"These are the kinds of reforms that will provide more access to affordable health care."