In Personal Meeting With Colorado Residents, Bennet Hears How Broken Health Care System is Affecting Struggling Families, Small Businesses
Bennet: It’s Long Past Time For Washington To Heed The Pragmatic Voices Of Coloradans And Make Meaningful Changes In Health Care
Washington, DC – Today, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, sat down with Greeley resident Hollis Berendt, Pueblo residents Bob and Deb Montoya, and Denver resident Chris Crigler to hear first hand how America’s broken health care system is taking an increasingly difficult toll on Colorado small businesses and working families.
The meeting comes on the heels of a speech delivered by Bennet in which he cited Mrs. Berendt and Mr. and Mrs. Montoya as an example of how a lack of access to quality, affordable health care is leaving uninsured Coloradans on the brink of bankruptcy and hurting small businesses.
“Real solutions to our health care crisis won’t come from Washington but from the ideas of folks like Hollis, Bob and Deb who are doing their part to make health care reform deliver for Colorado families and small businesses,” Bennet said. “Failing to act responsibly now will result in another decade of soaring health care costs for families and small businesses.”
Mrs. Berendt, Mr. and Mrs. Montoya, and Mr. Crigler visited Bennet as part of a travelling contingent of the Colorado Main Street Alliance. The goal of the Alliance is to create opportunities for small business owners to speak for themselves about health care and how to fix it.
In Bennet’s speech on June 11, 2009, he pointed to the stories of Coloradans as examples of why lawmakers in Washington need to deliver on health care reform that preserves choice, lowers costs and provides affordable, quality care to all Americans.
Calling the status quo ‘unacceptable’ and the current system ‘broken,’ Bennet highlighted the health care challenges facing Colorado families and small businesses across the state, and discussed the threat skyrocketing costs pose to the long-term health and sustainability of the American economy.
Bennet also discussed legislation he introduced, the Medicare Care Transitions Act of 2009, which would implement at the national level a highly successful and cost-effective model for patient transition care pioneered in Colorado.
Click here to read or view the speech.