What's New
Senator Bennet Meets in D.C. with Colorado Main Street Alliance Members to Discuss Health Care Reform
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet
Member: Agriculture, Banking, Homeland Security and Aging Committees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
CONTACT: Deirdre Murphy - 202-224-5852
Michael Amodeo - 303-249-5286
Following Recent Speech, Bennet Meets With Greeley Resident to Discuss Health Care Reform, Hear Concerns
In Personal Meeting With Hollis Berendt, 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 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, a small-business owner and Greeley resident, as an example of how a lack of access to quality, affordable health care is leaving uninsured Coloradans on the brink of bankruptcy.
"Real solutions to our health care crisis won't come from Washington but from the ideas of folks like Hollis 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 visited Bennet as part of a travelling contingent of the Colorado Main Street Alliance that included Bob and Deb Montoya of Pueblo and Chris Crigler of Denver. 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 like Mrs. Berendt's 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.
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