Sebelius, DeParle and Douglas Remark on Medicare

WHITE HOUSE OFFICE FOR HEALTH REFORM DIRECTOR NANCY-ANN DEPARLE : It's my honor to welcome Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Jim Douglas, the governor of the great state of Vermont.

Secretary Sebelius and I have been working together to advance the cause of health reform, and we've been honored to have Governor Douglas by our side. I had the pleasure of going up to Vermont to moderate a White House regional forum on health reform with the governor, and I want to thank him for his leadership as we've worked to make health reform a reality.

Governor Douglas and many of his colleagues know that we can't afford to wait for reform. Today, our nation spends $7,421 per person on health care, but yet there are millions of Americans who can't get coverage. According to one government analysis, if we do nothing, health expenditures in the United States could grow from $2.5 trillion a year in 2009 to more than $7 trillion in 2025.

And we know that families are suffering. And those of you who are primary-care clinicians today know that better than anyone, because you're on the front lines.

Yesterday, a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust indicated that premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have continued to rise. The average cost of a family policy in 2009 increased to $13,375, and on average employees pay $3,515 and employers pay a whopping $9,860. And in the past 10 years, health insurance premiums have increased by 131 percent, far outpacing wage gains or inflation.

But cost isn't the only issue. Millions of Americans who have insurance know they could lose their health care at a moment's notice. These Americans don't have the security or the stability they need. They know that an insurance company could eliminate the coverage they need when they need it the most, when they're sick.

Every day, 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance. The president and leaders like Governor Douglas know that the status quo can't continue.

President Obama's health insurance reform plan addresses three simple goals: If you have health insurance, it will give you security and stability. If you don't have insurance, it will give you quality, affordable options for the first time, and it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government.

Today, we're closer than we've ever been to enacting health insurance reform. I know that Congress is working hard to move forward, and I'm confident that we'll succeed. But as we move forward in the legislative process, we're also using the tools that we have to improve health care for all Americans.

As a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I know we have the ability to make constructive changes that will strengthen care for all Americans. And today, I'm pleased to introduce Secretary Sebelius, who will discuss an important demonstration project we'll be launching in the days ahead.

Madam Secretary?

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Well, thank you, Nancy-Ann. And it's great to be with my former colleague, Jim Douglas, again. Jim and I were elected together in 2002, re-elected together in 2006, and then I made a slight detour, but pleased to continue to work together on these important issues.