White House Health Summit

Statement

President Barack Obama told a White House summit on health care reform that all Americans should have access to affordable health care. He pledged to reduce costs and expand coverage. Blaming "special interests" for preventing progress in the past, Obama said, "Those who seek to block any reform at any cost will not prevail this time around." Senator Bernie Sanders was among more than 150 participants invited to the White House conference. "I think it was a very good meeting," Sanders said. "Our health care system is disintegrating and I very much appreciate the president stepping up to the plate and wanting to move rapidly on it.

Other members of Congress and leaders of labor unions, business groups, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and consumer organizations also took part in the forum.

Interviewed afterward outside the Capitol, Sanders said "the president understands that we need universal health care for every man, woman and child. We absolutely have got to control the costs."

Sanders recently introduced legislation to dramatically expand the network of community health centers so every American who needs it will have access to primary care physicians, dentists, mental health counseling and the lowest-cost prescription medicine available in this country.

"We need to revolutionize primary health care so that every American has a doctor and a dentist, and when you do that we're going to lower the cost of health care in general. That was an important part of some of the discussions and I think there is widespread consensus that community health centers and primary health care in general is something we have got to focus on," Sanders said. "So I think we are off to a good start and I applaud the president."

Sanders is a member of the Senate health committee. The panel's chairman is Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who made an emotional appearance at the White House forum.

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