Healthcare on the Hot Seat & Foodborne Illness Tally

Healthcare on the Hot Seat & Foodborne Illness Tally. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. President Obama has outlined his final version of a health care bill and has urged Congress to bring the plan to a conclusive vote within the next few weeks. The President said his nearly 1-trillion dollar proposal is a compromise plan that combines the best ideas of both Democrats and Republicans. Washington Congressman Doc Hastings says this really needs to be a bi-partisan solution. HASTINGS: What the President is suggesting is the Congress circumvent their rules, specifically the Senate, to pass a healthcare bill that I believe American's don't want and that would impact about 15% of our economy. Big decisions like this need to be done in a bi-partisan way. The President obviously doesn't feel that way and I'm very, very disappointed. A report published by the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, estimates the total cost of foodborne illnesses in the United States at 152-billion dollars per year. The report titled - Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States, - emphasizes illnesses related to FDA-regulated foods such as produce and is being used to push for Senate action on legislation passed by the House of Representatives last summer that would overhaul the Food and Drug Administration. Now here's today's Washington Grange Report. (GRANGE) That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.