I know the exploding cost of health care is at the root of our long-term fiscal challenges.

The national debate on health care once centered on improving access to quality care, yet the effect of Obamacare will be the exact opposite, resulting in the shameful degradation of care for the neediest individuals.

Originally created to serve the poorest and sickest among us, the Medicaid program has grown dramatically but still doesn't include the kind of flexibility that states need to provide better health care for the poor and disadvantaged.

An enormous piece of the cost in our health care system today is driven by lifestyle decisions, and so we all have an effort to do better.

My background is in health care.

It is time to maximize and prioritize our health care dollars.