Tom Reed Calls Summit Long on Theater, Short on Compromise

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"I salute the effort to finally get everyone around the same table to discuss where to go from here at today's healthcare summit," Tom Reed said in reaction to today's health care summit in Washington. "This is how it should have been done in the first place a year ago. Having said that, I was disappointed that the day was long on theater but short on compromise," Reed said. 

"This isn't a re-start as much as it was a sales presentation by both sides," Reed observed. "They cannot just take the Senate bill, make cosmetic changes, then ram it through the House. I hope that the Democratic leadership in the House will do the right thing and re-start the process." 

"We're talking about people's lives and one sixth of the U.S. economy," Reed continued. "Whatevernew regulations Congress enacts cannot have negative budget ramifications for families or businesses. And we all must be treated equally - no special deals for certain states." 

While Reed was disappointed by the partisan tone from both sides of the summit, he noted that what the public saw today today was yet another good example of what is at stake in this year's elections. "Will the voters choose Democratic control and further expansion of government involvement in our lives and become a European-style welfare state?" Reed asks, "Or will we choose to embrace individual initiative and less government?" 

Reed was pleased to hear insuring those with pre existing conditions, helping the non-insured and under-insured, and tort reform as part of the conversation. "Hopefully the Democratic leadership in the House will allow debate on new concepts, particularly competition," Reed said. "Instead of being forced into a particular plan by their employer, people should be able to choose. Allowing patients to choose health plans in an open market will force health insurance companies, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to compete by offering plans, services and products based on market needs and demands."

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