Recently, with the ongoing heat of the health care reform debate, I have read a couple of comments critical of Congressman John Salazar. Unfortunately, they tell a lopsided and ideological story of his recent performance in this regard.

As an observer and student of health care reform, I have been impressed with Congressman Salazar’s willingness to share and spotlight the success stories of the Grand Junction medical system.

Recall the congressman’s invitation to President Obama earlier this summer. Subsequently, the president accepted the invitation with a visit to Mesa County in August. This visit further enhanced the visibility and message on reform that local health leaders have been articulating during the reform debate.

In addition, Congressman Salazar sent one of his Washington, D.C. staff members out to Grand Junction in August. During a two-day seminar, his staff member learned in great detail why the local health system is scoring so well on quality and cost analysis.

Then, as other legislators across the nation wasted time debating death panels and innuendo, Congressman Salazar returned to Grand Junction to hear directly from leaders of all the major entities of the Grand Junction healthcare system. Following that meeting, he sent President Obama a letter outlining the major aspects of Grand Junction’s success in health care administration.

Most recently, just this last week, leadership from the Colorado Medical Society met with the congressman in his Washington, D.C. office. As a participant at this meeting, it is obvious to me that Congressman Salazar wishes to pursue a moderate approach to healthcare reform. And, he is committed to getting it done.

Regardless of the outcome, health care reform legislation will require compromise from every spectrum of the system. From patient to doctor and from hospital to insurance company, we all must accept elements in the bill that we might not like. After all, if it were easy, this would have been accomplished a century ago when Teddy Roosevelt first confronted the issue.

It is my belief that the Third Congressional District from Colorado is being represented well during the current healthcare reform debate.

MICHAEL J. PRAMENKO M.D.
President-Elect
Colorado Medical Society
Grand Junction

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.