While President Obama unveils his budget blueprint both in Washington and on the road, his refrain is that "Jobs will be our No. 1 focus in 2010."

As the national spotlight shifts to the crucial area of putting people back to work, we must remember that job growth hinges not only on economic policies, but also on addressing the impediments to job growth like our soaring health care costs. Small and large employers alike cannot expand when they are crippled by such costs.

I'm running for Congress because we need leaders in Washington with pragmatic ideas -- acceptable on both sides of the political aisle -- to reduce waste, cut costs and lower premiums. We need common-sense solutions to cover all Americans with a basic set of benefits.

As a doctor practicing in the Twin Cities, I've seen patients recover from terrible diseases because they had access to top-quality care. On the other hand, during my 12 years at the Fremont Community Clinic in north Minneapolis, I've seen patients die from treatable illnesses because they lacked basic health insurance.

Comprehensive reform must include a basic benefits package for every American, must cover preexisting conditions, and must emphasize prevention and achieve payment reform.

Democrats, Republicans and independents all agree that cost controls must be a foundation of any health care reform bill. We don't need another dime, let alone another trillion dollars, in health care; we need the trillions already in the system to be spent more effectively so we can invest our resources in education, transportation and paying down the debt.

Payment reform must be a cornerstone of our health care efforts. The fact of the matter is that we simply pay for our health care incorrectly. We pay for individual services at the back end of care instead of at the front end for prevention, coordination and overall best care. Only when we address this core problem will we realize the savings needed to expand and improve coverage for all.

In Minnesota, we are uniquely qualified to implement payment reform. In Congress, I will work to give our state the freedom to put in place reforms that would cut costs immediately and liberate Minnesota from the disastrous Medicare payment formula. There are also innovative programs currently in use that show that quality care is cost-effective.

The Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania instituted a program called the "Geisinger Guarantee" for heart bypass surgery. The program promises patients one flat rate to cover all phases of surgery as well as any preventable postoperative complications or readmissions up to six months after surgery.

The program is a tremendous success. Heart patients are recovering faster, with Geisinger cutting its overall bypass surgery costs by 15 percent. Most importantly, the in-hospital death rate on elective heart surgeries dropped from 1.5 percent to zero. Programs like this are proof that we can cut costs and deliver quality health care.

Members of Congress need to focus on what can be accomplished rather than delaying and denying substantive reform. Regardless of your opinion of the current legislation, the tenor of the health care debate has been deplorable.

In meeting with patients in my office through the years, it is abundantly clear that people who are fearful and angry do not problem-solve well. It is a fundamental responsibility of our elected officials to speak truthfully to their constituents in a manner that encourages solutions, not partisan outrage. The problems we face today require cool heads and cooperation.

The health care cost and coverage crisis will not go away. Our jobs, our economy and our health require making tough choices and working collaboratively to reach a long-term solution to our health care crisis.

Maureen Reed, a former regent of the University of Minnesota, is a DFL candidate for the U.S. House in the Sixth Congressional District.