Citizens for Health supports a federal budgetary policy that reflects the belief that access to a broad array of health care options is a right for everyone, not a privilege for those who can afford it.
The following excerpts were taken from US Comptroller David M. Walker’s Testimony before the House Budget Committee:
“Substantive reform of the major health programs and Social Security is critical to recapturing our future fiscal flexibility. Ultimately, the nation will have to decide what level of federal benefits and spending it wants and how it will pay for these benefits. Our current fiscal path will increasingly constrain our ability to address emerging and unexpected budgetary needs and increase the burdens that will be faced by future generations. Continuing on this path will mean escalating and ultimately unsustainable federal deficits and debt that will serve to threaten our future national security as well as the standard of living for the American people.” . . . “The aging population and rising health care spending will have significant implications not only for the budget, but also the economy as a whole.” . . . “The health care spending problem is particularly vexing for the federal budget, affecting not only Medicare and Medicaid but also other important federal health programs, such as for our military personnel and veterans.”
Click here to read Walker’s complete testimony.
