Washington, DC - "Tonight, President Obama gave us his bottom line on health insurance reform and his speech provided us with some clear guidelines of what he can live with. He did a great job of explaining to the American people why this is going to benefit both people who have insurance and those who are uninsured.

My bottom line on health insurance reform has never changed.....the current system is unsustainable and it needs to change now, not later.

I want a bill that eliminates pre-existing conditions; eliminates annual and lifetime benefit caps; ensures patient choice and doctor control over all healthcare decisions; covers the vast majority of the uninsured; and accomplishes all of that in a deficit neutral way.

I still think that a public option is one of the choices that should be part of the mix, but not the only choice.

And when it comes down to the final bill, I will not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

It may be that health insurance reform legislation will take the same historical path as the landmark Civil Rights bills in the 1960's.

History shows that the great Civil Rights transformation was accomplished in Congress in several steps, over several years.
That may be the way to get this done too.

I am standing strongly with the President and our leadership.

And I can promise you that we will pass a strong health insurance reform bill this year because that's what the American people voted for."