Former Senator John Breaux Leads Health Care Reform Forum with Former Senators Tom Daschle and Don Nickles

 

Trio to Exchange Ideas on Combating Uninsured Crisis in America

 Focus to include SCHIP Reauthorization and Health Information Technology

 
Washington, D.C., June 29, 2006— Former Louisiana Senator John Breaux moderated a discussion today with former Senators Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Don Nickles (R-OK) to find common ground on a wide range of health care topics. The group exchanged ideas on creating solutions for addressing the crisis of the uninsured in America, reauthorization of the SCHIP program, health information technology legislation, and the Medicare Modernization Act.
 
The forum was held in conjunction with the 2006 Annual Convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 
 
“I am pleased to have former Senators Daschle and Nickles participate in Ceasefire on Health Care and lend their voices of experience toward developing solutions to some of the country’s most vexing health care issues,” said Breaux. “As former members of the U.S. Senate’s leadership, they provide unique perspectives on identifying areas of common ground and opportunities in which bipartisan reform is possible in Congress. They are each leaders in their respective political parties, and have well-deserved reputations as effective and skilled thought leaders. I value their contribution to the Ceasefire on Health Care campaign.” 
 
“We need our political leaders to make bold decisions on behalf of all Americans,” said former Senator Daschle. “Every day more and more American families are becoming uninsured. In order to find a solution to this growing epidemic, we must face this problem as one nation instead of as two separate political parties. I applaud Senator Breaux for taking this initiative to increasing the access of quality health care.” 
 
“It is vitally important that leaders of both parties work together to solve some of the growing challenges in health care. Scoring political points doesn’t cut it. We must work together to improve quality, decrease the number of uninsured and contain health care costs,” said former Senator Nickles.  
  
Previous Ceasefire bipartisan forums have featured Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Former HHS Secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala; Senator
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR); Congressmen Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Joe Schwarz (R-MI); Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Congressman David Scott (D-GA 13th); Republican pollster Bill McInturff and Democratic pollster Geoff Garin; and Brookings Institution scholar, Henry J. Aaron, Ph. D., and Heritage Foundation scholar Stuart M. Butler, Ph. D. 
 
The Ceasefire on Health Care series is made possible by a grant from Pfizer Inc.
 
For more information, please visit www.ceasefireonhealthcare.org.
 
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* The “Ceasefire on Health Care” campaign is sponsored by American University's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and made possible by Pfizer Inc.