Email I got with a link for a webcast

In an effort to bridge the political gap and build momentum for comprehensive health insurance reform, President Obama will hold his health care summit tomorrow at the White House, which I'll be streaming live on my website at http://blumenauer.house.gov/.  Tune in and watch at 7am Pacific. 

As I've made clear over the last year, health insurance reform is too important not to pass. In the last few weeks, I've been stunned at the news accounts of skyrocketing premiums while the five largest health insurers are enjoying record profits. It's hard to reconcile the fact that 50% of Oregonians are delaying necessary medical care because they can't afford it, while the biggest insurance companies made a combined profit of $12.2 billion last year - a 56% increase from the previous year. This puts people's health at risk and hampers growth at a time when we're working to recover the economy. I recently spoke with small business owners, and they're struggling to hire people because they've been hit with rate hikes ranging from 20 to over 120 percent!

For the last year, I've been working to make sure the millions of Americans without health insurance get the coverage they deserve. This is something I won't give up on, and with the blueprint President Obama unveiled on Monday, it's clear he won't either.

Despite health care opponents calling to scrap the bills passed by the House and Senate, now is the time to push past partisanship, work together, and negotiate on legislation that will improve the lives of all Americans. I'll be watching tomorrow, hoping to see forward momentum rather than the delay tactics that have stalled action on health insurance reform.

Sincerely,
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress