Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

The massive congressional health care bills would raise health care costs, undermine consumer choice and quality of care, and trample on the traditional role of the states.  The wisdom of the Founding Fathers was evident in recognizing the inherent limits of political power and in constitutionally dividing that power between the officers of the national government and the officials of the states.  Their work should not be destroyed through the ideological pursuit of increased government control over health care financing and delivery.  Congress should instead preserve what is best about the American health care system and undertake responsible and sustainable reforms to improve access, affordability and choice for individuals and families.  States should be free to pursue new and innovative reforms to their own health insurance markets and devise new ways of securing affordable care to the poorest and the sickest, the most vulnerable among us.