ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., believes Congress will pass some type of health care reform legislation, although he stressed "getting it right" is far more important than meeting an arbitrary deadline.

"The debate we are having is healthy," Chambliss said Wednesday afternoon following a two-hour visit to Robins Air Force Base. "The debate has been very healthy and there have been a lot of emotions displayed throughout the country. Those emotions are well founded because health care affects everybody. That's why getting it right is so important."

The senior Georgia senator said neither TRICARE nor the VA medical system is in the reform mix. "No component of any health care reform bill deals with TRICARE or the VA health care structure," he stressed. "TRICARE will continue to operate under the Defense Department budget and the Veterans Administration will continue to budget and handle the VA system." TRICARE is the Pentagon's network of civilian health care providers serving both active duty and retired military members and their families.

Chambliss said the current debate centers on solving health care access, whether the government should be involved and how to drive down the cost of both health insurance and health care.

"We have the best health care system in the world," he noted, "but it can be improved. For example, we need to make some reasonable reforms such as making health insurance available to all Americans. I think that's critically important."

Chambliss said his town hall meetings earlier this week in Albany and Columbus were very beneficial with none of the heated exchanges that occurred elsewhere in the country.

"We had calm crowds," he said. "We had good attendance, good dialogue and good questions. Folks are interested but very respectful."

Chambliss was scheduled to meet with Macon officials Wednesday afternoon.