Governor Douglas to meet with President Obama on health care reform

Governor Douglas will be in Washington again tomorrow for a meeting with President Barack Obama and a bipartisan coalition that includes five others governors to discuss health care reform.
Vermont is a leader among states when it comes to important reforms to our health care system. Many of our programs serve as a national model and are being implemented in other states and municipalities across America, said Governor Douglas. Through my work as Governor and at the National Governors Association, we are making health care reform a top priority, highlighting the critical steps we have taken here at home and the steps we need to take nationally.
Earlier this year, President Obama called on Governor Douglas and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to co-host one of five regional White House Forums on Health Reform. The New England forum, held at the University of Vermont s Davis Center, brought together a diverse group from across the region to discuss what can and should be done to improve coverage, quality, efficiency and the cost of delivering care to Americans. Individuals from Massachusetts and Vermont talked about the groundbreaking reforms being implemented in their respective states, such as the Vermont Blueprint for Health, which is serving as a national model for health reform.
The forum included representatives from the local medical community, single-payer system advocates, non-profits, pharmaceutical companies, private insurers, and state government officials, among others.
It was an honor to host one of only a handful of White House Forums on Health Reform back in March and I want to thank President Obama for giving Vermont the opportunity to share our important progress with those at the federal level, Governor Douglas continued. I look forward to our meeting tomorrow where Governors of both parties. It will give us the chance to speak directly with the President about the good things we are doing in our states and how we can work together to craft a health care reform program that achieves our goals.
The President will meet with five of the Governors who hosted these important regional forums, who all share his commitment to lowering the cost of health care, protecting choice of doctors and plans and assuring quality and affordable health care for every American. Governors Granholm of Michigan, Doyle of Wisconsin, Patrick of Massachusetts, Rounds of South Dakota, Gregoire of Washington and Douglas of Vermont are among the bipartisan group of nine governors who held regional health care forums this spring. They will share with the President some of the stories their heard from people in their states who are struggling with the high cost of health care.
In addition, the Governors will meet with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Lawrence Summers, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, and Nancy-Ann DeParle, Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform.
Source: Governor's Office, June 23, 2009.