Congressman John Tanner

8TH DISTRICT – In a new radio address distributed throughout the 8th District and www.house.gov/tanner, Congressman John Tanner outlined the prioirities for how to keep what works in the health care system and fix what is broken. The radio address comes after Tanner talked with more than 15,000 8th District families throughout the August District Work Period.

A transcript of Congressman Tanner's remarks follows:

Hello, this is John Tanner. I want to talk with you again for just a moment about the current state of the health care reform debate taking place in Tennessee and across the country.

The Blue Dogs, which I helped found, were instrumental in getting Congressional leaders to hold off a vote on any of the health care reform bills currently pending before the House. We wanted to ensure Members of Congress would have the August break in the legislative calendar to talk with our constituents.

I think this approach has been constructive.

Health care is a highly personal and emotional issue, because we all have health issues. Therefore, I have spent the past few weeks visiting the 19 counties that make up our Congressional district.

I have talked with providers, patients, health care administrators, seniors, veterans, small business owners, civic leaders and other families – those with health coverage and those without – about how our health care system works today.

Through face-to-face meetings with groups and individuals, plus a series of Telephone Town Hall Meetings, including one hosted by AARP, I have talked with more than 15,000 8^th District residents during the August District Work Period. We are also hearing from thousands of Middle and West Tennesseans taking a moment to return surveys published in newspapers throughout our district.

Many people have ideas – sometimes similar, sometimes different – about how we can address these issues. Most of us agree that the goals in addressing health care are: 1) keep what works in our current system; and 2) fix what is broken.

Too often, people in Washington think we live in an either/or world. Those on the far left and those on the far right seem to think that every play has to be an 80-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass. Many of us who find ourselves somewhere in the middle prefer a series of first downs – in this case, incremental changes to fix what is broken within the system without harming patient care.

So as the House goes back into session, I will work with the Blue Dogs and other colleagues to address these principles with regard to health care reform:

1. Cost savings. Medical care and health insurance costs are skyrocketing for individuals, families, veterans, employers, medical providers and government. We must look for savings without harming patient care.

2. Solving inefficiencies. Oftentimes, there is duplication in medical exams, prescriptions and consultations. Investing in electronic medical records, better coordination among providers and addressing the practice of defensive medicine will help save money and improve quality.

3. Ensuring that people with pre-existing conditions can get health care coverage. I talked with a small business owner from Weakley County who has had colon cancer. Fortunately, he is in remission, but no one will insure him, and he worries that if he gets sick again, he will lose his business, and his employees will lose their jobs. Individuals should be able to get affordable, private health insurance, even with pre-existing conditions.

4. Keep our employer-based health care system.

I did not feel these principles were adequately met in the version of health care reform legislation that came before the Ways and Means Committee in July, so I voted against that version of the legislation.

Health care is a very complicated issue that affects us all, and this dialogue is just getting under way. There is no final health care bill in the House or the Senate.

Because accurate information is crucial in the discussion of any issue this complicated and important, I hope all Tennesseans will carefully follow the debate and seek informed answers to the questions they have about any proposals in Congress and around the country.

I want to thank all those 8^th District residents who took the time to talk with me in the past few weeks. I also appreciate your interest in this dialogue about how we can keep what works in our system and fix what is broken.

As the legislative process moves forward, we will continue to stay in touch.

Again, thank you.

Co-founder of the Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.