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RCP: Health care costs -- which accounted for less than 8 percent of America’s economy in 1990 and less than 12 percent in 2000 -- now account for more 17 percent of GDP. This trend is the cause of great concern for many who regard health care spending as a potential nation-ruining issue. They fear that if we are spending more on health care, then we are by necessity investing less on infrastructure, energy and education – spending that contributes greatly to our economic prosperity.

How important is it for the future of our economy to get health care spending under control?

Senator Wyden: Fixing health care and fixing the economy are two sides of the same coin. The fact of the matter is that the reason the take home pay of the American worker never goes up is because health care is gobbling up everything in sight. In fact if you look at recent years, employer spending keeps going up and it seems like the fastest rising part of that is health care. So containing health costs is absolutely pivotal, and of course what Senator Bennett and I have been able to do is bring the other 13 members of the U.S. Senate for a bipartisan effort to contain those costs.

Full Transcript of the RCP-Wyden Interview