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A Real Health Care Solution March 11, 2009  Mr. Speaker: The American people want a solution; American businesses need a solution to stay competitive and retain their best employees; segments of the health care industry itself, such as doctors, want a solution; and the President and Congress have begun a national dialogue. Yet, despite all these positive signs, we must not make the mistake of believing a solution is at hand, or that one will come easily. As a nation we stand at a crossroads: either sweeping reform or sweeping this crisis under the rug yet again. We have to translate this national dialogue into legislation that makes access to affordable health care coverage what it must be in a free and Democratic society – a right and not a privilege. There are lots of pieces to the puzzle and some are more readily solved than others. In fact, I think some early victories would instill much needed confidence that we are answering the call of the American people to solve the crisis. Here is one example. When I graduated from medical school I was $500 in debt after my medical education. When you’re underwater by that much money, you are forced to make decisions based on debt service, not medical service. Across America, from inner cities to rural communities, we are woefully short of primary care doctors. And as long as new doctors have to chase high-paying jobs to pay their medical school loans, we are going to remain short staffed in these areas, and short-sighted as a nation.
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