Bob Dole stepped into the fractious health care debate Wednesday with a welcome call for Congress to get a bill passed this session.
"This is one of the most important measures members of Congress will vote on in their lifetimes," the former U.S. senator and GOP presidential candidate told an audience at the "Health Summit." It was sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City at the Liberty Memorial auditorium.
Dole and two other former Senate leaders, Republican James Baker and Democrat Tom Daschle, are urging a bipartisan compromise on health care. They correctly support affordable health insurance without exceptions for past medical problems. And they want financial incentives based on outcomes instead of procedures.
Dole sounded the right tone at an industry-sponsored event that in many ways seemed more focused on blocking meaningful health care reform.
Organizers released the results of a survey that was billed as Kansas City's "opinion source" on health care. It showed the health industry in Kansas City skeptical and resistant toward reform. More than half of "insiders" interviewed favored the status quo.
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