Rep. Johnson's statement on President Obama's speech on health care reform

WASHINGTON -- "I'm pleased the President did not back down tonight from his commitment that a robust public option be a part of health insurance reform legislation moving forward," said Johnson.

"All of us can agree that health care costs are spiraling out of control, and that something needs to be done to rein that in, while also providing coverage to 47 million Americans who don't have coverage today. Right now the public option seems like the logical way to achieve that - it would bring costs down, create competition and get the insurance company bureaucrats out of the patient-doctor relationship. But I'll be looking carefully at all proposals that accomplish this whether it's a public option or another mechanism. H.R. 3200 as proposed is a good plan, but it doesn't have to be the only way we attain fundamental reform. One thing we know is that the status quo is unacceptable. I look forward to working with my colleagues these next few months to hammer out health care insurance reform legislation that is meaningful, impactful and affordable to all Americans."

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