President Obama opened his speech on Tuesday evening calling for our nation to take responsibility for its future once again and begin to address our long-term challenges. More specifically, he made clear that we have ignored for too long the challenge of health reform and the responsibility to provide quality, affordable health coverage to every American. The President was unequivocal:

So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.

As we face mounting economic challenges, the link between health care and our economy has never been more apparent.  Rising health care costs are undermining the ability of U.S. businesses to compete globally, stifling entrepreneurship, and crippling American families. Meanwhile, health care cost growth continues to wreak havoc on our state and federal budgets. Health care already represents 16 percent of our economy, and is the fastest growing component of our economy.  We cannot restore our economic health if we ignore our health care system. As the president said:

This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, one million more Americans have lost their health insurance. It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it's one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget.

The President's speech solidified health reform as a priority for his administration and for our country.  With the help of leadership that extends from the President to Congress to Americans across the country, we will tackle our health care crisis this year and in doing so will lay the groundwork for a more sustainable Medicare program.

We will see more about the president's goals and timetable on Thursday, when he submits his budget. He did not promise to fix everything overnight, but we believe his promised "down payment" will be a significant one. One that will allow us to begin to take responsibility for the health of our nation, its economy, and the quality of care we provide our fellow Americans. The message is unambiguous. And we embrace it.