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Child Health Care
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Child Health Care
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Christine Macy's Files
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dren who might benefit from recent
More Children
state expansions of the Medicaid pro-
gram. Mr. Selden said.
Changes in Medicaid since the late
1980's have nearly doubled the num-
Go Uninsured
ber of eligible children, the study
found. The changes were pushed
through Congress by Senator John H.
Despite Status
Chafee, Republican of Rhode Island,
and Representative Henry A. Wax-
man, Democrat of California.
For Medicaid
Children who received cash assist-
ance through the old welfare pro-
gram, Aid to Families With Depend-
By ROBERT PEAR
ent Children, were automatically en-
WASHINGTON, May 17 - A new
rolled in Medicaid. But the new study
Federal study!finds that 4.7 million
found that teen-agers and children
children - farmore than previously
who became eligible for Medicaid
estimated - are eligible for Medic-
because of recent program expan-
aid but are not enrolled in the pro-
sions were less likely to be enrolled.
gram and have no health insurance
These families "may have been
benefits.
less aware of their Medicaid eligibil-
The finding means that two of ev-
ity, given that they were ineligible
ery five uninsured children in the
for cash assistance," the study said.
United States could have coverage
In addition, it suggested, "such fam-
through Medicaid, which provides
ilies may have resided in neighbor-
comprehensive health benefits. if
hoods with lower Medicaid preva-
they or their parents would just ap-
lence, which might have reduced
ply for it.
their awareness of the program and
The study, published today in the
perhaps increased their sense of stig-
ma" associated with Medicaid. The
journal Health Affairs, said 21.2 mil-
lion children ages 18 or younger were
study also makes these points:
90f the 4.7 million children who
eligible for Medicaid, the Federal-
are eligible for Medicaid but not en-
state program for low-income peo-
ple. But, it said, 22 percent of them
rolled in the program, 3.3 million are
younger than age 13, and 1.4 million
were not in Medicaid or any other
are between ages 13 and 18.
public or private health insurance
9Young children eligible for Med-
program.
icaid are more likely than older chil-
The White House had estimated
dren to be enrolled in the program.
that three million children were eli-
TSweeping changes in welfare pol-
gible for Medicaid but not enrolled.
icy made by the Federal Govern-
And in January, President Clinton
ment and the states in the last few
ordered the Department of Health
years could inadvertently increase
and Human Services to locate such
the number of uninsured children.
children and sign them up.
The new laws impose time limits and
Mr. Clinton has repeatedly pro-
other restrictions on welfare bene-
posed new health programs for chil-
fits. Many children may still be eligi-
dren and has often complained that
ble for Medicaid after they lose cash
the number of uninsured Americans
assistance, but they and their par-
is increasing because of Congress's
ents may have to make special ef-
The Times
MONDAY, MAY 18, 1998
failure to enact his proposals for
forts to get such health benefits.
universal coverage in 1994. But the
Another study in the same issue of
study suggests that the Government
Health Affairs documents changes in
and low-income families have not
insurance coverage of mental health
made full use of the existing Medic-
care. The proportion of insured
aid program, which has been revised
workers with mental health benefits
by Congress over the last decade to
has increased in recent years, the
expand eligibility.
study says, but the benefits have
The main author of the new report,
become less generous as insurers
Thomas M. Selden, who is an econo-
impose stricter limits on the use of
mist at the Federal Agency for
mental health services and charge
Health Care Policy and Research, a
higher co-payments.
unit of the Public Health Service,
Health maintenance organizations
said, "Over all, we estimate that 4.7
and other managed-care plans gen-
million children age 18 and under
erally impose such limits, and the
were uninsured despite being eligible
number of Americans in such health
for Medicaid." They represent 39
plans has soared in the last decade,
percent of uninsured children, a
said one of the authors, Gail A. Jen-
group that numbers 12 million.
sen, an expert on employee benefits
Mr. Selden said he and his col-
at Wayne State University, in De-
leagues at the Public Health Service
troit.
had identified "a much larger group
of Medicaid-eligible but uninsured
children than has previously been
known to exist." Earlier studies fo-
cused on children ages 10 and young-
er and did not consider all the chil-
He told tourists that it was fine to
By JOHN H. CUSHMAN Jr.
problems in Texas, coming on the
take their children to a local amuse-
heels of more distant fires in Indo-
HOUSTON, May 16 - With a tickle
ment park and told the father of an
nesia, Brazil and other parts of the
in the throat, an itch in the eye and a
infant not to worry about taking the
world in the past two years, were a
bit of a wheeze in the lungs, Texans
baby outside in a stroller. But he
sign of a more widespread phenom-
have been coping with an extraordi-
advised the mother of a healthy boy
enon that people should worry about
nary weeklong health alert brought
with a history of pneumonia that it
on by smoke and haze from uncon-
over the long term.
might not be wise to let him play in a
trolled fires thousands of miles away
They said that the Mexico fires,
soccer game, and he told a man with
III Mexico.
exacerbated by a drought brought on
asthma not to ride his bicycle.
Last week, the state environmen-
by the El Niño weather pattern of the
In Brownsville, Dr. Robert Le-
tal authorities declared the air un-
past two years, might be linked to
Kach, an allergist, said his patient
healthy in counties stretching 100
global warming caused by rising at-
load had increased 20 percent since
miles inland from the Gulf Coast,
mospheric concentrations of carbon
the haze arrived. Some were new
where pollution from fires in south-
dioxide from fossil fuels.
clients, some his regulars.
ern Mexico was casting a gray pall.
For years scientists have said that
"Basically we're dealing with a lot
On Friday, the alert was extended
if global warming accelerated it
of asthma and allergic conditions,"
to the whole state. And while the
could lead to a variety of health
weekend brought some relief to some
problems, including air pollution
Dr. LeKach said. "They' coming in
areas, forecasters said more smoke
from fires and the spread of dis-
complaining of nasal irritation, nasal
Texans Coping With Smoke Cloud From Fires in Mexico
might be on the way.
eases.
bleeding and eye burning. The ones
As a precaution, health agencies
"This may be a wake-up call for
that are treated and take their medi-
warned the elderly and people with
what global warming is going to
cation usually can withstand it.
heart disease or lung ailments to
bring us in the 21st century," said
Those who are less controlled usu-
avoid outdoor activity and to take it
Neil Carman. clean air director for
ally react. The people that are on the
easy indoors. Everybody, especially
the Sierra Club. "Is it some kind of
edge, it kind of tips them over.
children, was advised to avoid pro-
At Su Clínica Familiar, a commu-
longed exercise.
isolated event? I don't think so. It
nity health clinic in Harlingen, about
"It makes sense for everyone to be
seems to be part of something much,
30 miles from the Mexican border.
cautious," said Dr. William Archer,
much bigger."
Dr. Elena Marin said children who
the Commissioner of the Texas De-
Kevin Trenberth, the head of the
partment of Health. "But we should
had never had such problems before
climate analysis section at the Na-
not move people to panic."
had come in coughing and wheezing.
tional Center for Atmospheric Re-
In that spirit, and with a touch of
"My own son woke up doing that,
search, a Government laboratory in
irony. the American Lung Associa-
Boulder, Colo., said it was reasonable
and he's never been diagnosed," she
tion canceled its fund-raising event
to view events like the haze in Texas
said.
on Saturday, a "Run to Fight Asth-
as "sort of a warning sign" about
Dr. Marín said her patients, most
ma." People with asthma are espe-
what people may experience because
of whom are poor, were less able to
cially vulnerable to air pollution.
of the greenhouse effect.
seek proper asthma treatment and
For the healthy, the warnings and
"There is an excellent analogy be-
stick with it.
the pollution were more an irritation
tween El Niño and the kind of effects
"Many of their homes don't have
than an emergency.
that people will experience with cli-
air conditioners," she said. "They
In Corpus Christi, organizers went
mate change," he said in a telephone
may have broken screens. If they
ahead with a 26-mile relay race for
interview. "These effects are going
can't close the windows they would
nearly 7,000 participants.
to become more pervasive with cli-
be more at risk for environmental
Dr. Nina Sisley, director of the
mate change. Drying is likely to be-
exposure."
local health department, had advised
come more common, droughts more
Dr. Marín said she had forbidden
against the race.
severe and longer lasting, and this
her 6-year-old daughter to attend an
"My concern is that these people
will make vulnerability to fire more
are putting themselves in harm's
all-night campout on school grounds
pronounced."
way," Dr. Sisley said. "Some will be
on Friday night.
A more difficult question to an-
running six to eight miles and may
"I'm not willing to go out there,"
swer, and one that Dr. Trenberth is
not recognize the danger of breath-
Dr. Marin said. "My daughter was so
studying closely, is whether climate
ing these tiny particles associated
changes already under way are in-
disappointed, but 1 told her, we don't
with the smoke that embed them-
creasing the intensity and frequency
want to get sick."
selves in the lungs. They could de-
of El Niño events: the periodic
velop real upper respiratory prob-
swings in temperature patterns in
lems later."
the Pacific Ocean that cause wide-
But the city's legal department
spread effects worldwide.
told her she had no authority to pre-
All that sounded farfetched to one
vent the race, which proceeded with-
jogger who was out in the noonday
out any evident health problems.
heat on Saturday.
Health experts said, however, that
Like hundreds of other Housto-
this kind of haze, with its minuscule
nians seeking exercise, Tom Sikor-
chemical particles carrying toxic
and carcinogenic compounds deep
sky, 50, unfazed by the health warn-
into the lungs, was not to be ignored,
ings, went for a jog with his wife,
even if it was not possible to say with
Frances, along the trails of Memori-
any certainty what specific harm
al Park. Both of them wore blue
was being done by a week of breath-
masks to filter the pollution, al-
ing the polluted air.
though the health agencies said this
In Mexico itself. scores of people
would do little good against the tini-
have died and at least 50 million have
est particles of haze.
been left choking in smoke from
Mr. Sikorsky, an industrial safety
nearly 10,000 fires. A cloud of haze
engineer, rejected the idea that a
and cinders has hung over most of
larger environmental issue was at
southern Mexico and much of Cen-
stake, calling fears of global warm-
MONDAY, MAY 18, 1998
tral America since early last month.
The New Times
ing a "Chicken Little mentality."
Airports have been closed in Hondu-
On CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston,
ras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El
Dr. Richard Castriotta, a lung spe-
Salvador, and almost all flights in
cialist from the University of Texas
and out of the region have been can-
Health Sciences Center, advised call-
celed.
ers to be cautious but said the situa-
Some environmental advocates
tion "is unpleasant, but has not yet
and scientists said that the resulting
been demonstrated to be unhealthy."
NATIONLINE
Maryland boy recovering
after four-organ transplant
SHUTTLE TEST: A redesigned, lightweight fuel tank for
A Maryland boy's condition was improving rapidly at a
the space shuttle, needed to haul heavy space station parts
Miami hospital Sunday. two davs after a rare four-organ
into orbit. will undergo a crucial preflight test today. NASA
transplant that has heated the debate over access to organs.
officials said. The new tank, which feeds the shuttle's main
Daniel Canal, 13, of Wheaton. Md.,
engines with about 1,000 gallons of rocket fuel a second, is
remained in critical condition after
7,500 pounds lighter than the 65,500-pound tanks NASA has
transplants of the liver. pancreas.
used since 1983. The lighter weight would allow the shuttles
small intestine and stomach, officials
to carry heavier cargo. If testing goes well, Discovery will
at Jackson Children's Hospital said.
use the new tank next month on NASA's last mission to Rus-
But he was awake and talking to his
sia's Mir space station, officials said.
family, and the organs were working
well. officials said.
ALSO
Canal's transplants have caused
controversy over how organs are al-
PHONE SERVICE: A Boeing Delta II rocket carrying
located. The boy waited in vain for
five satellites was launched Sunday from Vandenberg Air
five years on an organ transplant list
Shalala: Seeks
Force Base in California, part of a 66-satellite network for
in Pittsburgh, site of the medical cen-
ter closest to his home that is capable
changes in system
global phone service. The multinational project could begin
providing worldwide wireless service by year's end.
of performing the complicated pro-
DERAILMENT IN OHIO: About 20,000 gallons of liq-
cedure.
uid soap oozed across a railroad track corridor after about
But as his condition worsened. the boy's family decided
30 cars of a 159-car Conrail freight train derailed Sunday
to put his name on the list in Miami, too. He got his organs
near downtown Columbus, Ohio. No one was injured. The
just three days after signing up in Miami, the hospital says.
cause of the derailment was being probed.
"Our system should not require people to 'multiple list' at
FIRE TRUCK FIRE: A new $300,000 fire truck caught
different transplant centers and then Ay long distances for
fire Saturday as members of the Quaker Farms Fire Com-
surgery," Health and Human Services Secretary Donna
pany in Oxford, Conn., were taking it for a test drive. Fire-
Shalala said in a statement about Canal's surgery. "His case
fighters had to call colleagues to help douse the blaze. "It's
illustrates why changes are needed."
kind of embarrassing," said Fire Marshal Fred Pommer.
Shalala has called for changes after the pleas from Canal
and other protesters outside her office in February. She
says transplant recipients should not be at a disadvantage
Jogging commissioner catches thief
because of where they live. The sickest in the nation should
get organs first, she says. But some surgeons say organs
Philadelphia's new police commissioner ran down a
should be offered to local recipients first. They also worry
purse snatcher while out jogging and held the suspect until
that shipping organs over long distances will hurt the recipi-
patrol officers arrived, police said Sunday.
ent's chances for recovery.
- Robert Davis
John Timoney was jogging through
the affluent Rittenhouse Square area
INSURING
CHILDREN:
Previous assessments vastly un-
late Friday when a resident stopped
derestimated how many uninsured children qualify for Me-
him and reported the crime.
dicaid, says a government study out today. The new count is
"Well, I am the police commission-
4.7 million children, up from earlier estimates of almost 3
er," Timoney, 49, was quoted as say-
million. Even before the higher estimates surfaced, offi-
ing before commencing pursuit of
cials were concerned that so many eligible youngsters have
the suspect, a homeless man identi-
not enrolled in Medicaid. With about 10 million uninsured
fied as Jesse Lotman. Timoney kept
children, Congress and President Clinton have agreed to a
Lotman at bay until on-duty officers
new program for children who are not poor enough for Me-
arrived; Lotman was charged with
dicaid but whose families cannot afford to buy insurance on
receiving stolen property. Money and
a checkbook from the stolen purse
Timoney: Runs 6-7
their own. Now it appears that almost half of uninsured chil-
dren can be added to Medicaid rolls. The biggest problem,
were returned to its owner, a woman
miles a day
officials say, is finding those children.
visiting from South Carolina.
Timoney, a marathon runner who jogs 6-7 miles a day.
Blast rattles San Francisco neighborhood
replaced former Police Commissioner Richard Neal in
March, amid widespread expectations he would bring to
Philadelphia the crime-fighting acumen he displayed in
New York City. As first deputy to former New York Police
Commissioner William Bratton, Timoney was a central fig-
ure behind a 40% decline in that city's crime rate.
A widespread crackdown on crime in Philadelphia has
caused an increase in arrests of up to 25% this year, while
the city's homicide rate has fallen by 26%. The gains, how-
ever, have been credited mainly to programs started by
Neal.
Written by John Bacon with staff and wire reports
By
Paul
Sakuma,
Home explosion: Fire officials in San Francisco investi-
gate an explosion that ripped a three-story home from
its foundation and injured 17 people. Five people re-
mained hospitalized Sunday, one in critical condition and
four in serious condition. The explosion Saturday night
blew out windows throughout the neighborhood and
shattered the windshields of passing cars. The resulting
fire destroyed two neighboring homes.
CONDAY,
MAY
18,
1998
USA
TODAY
Consequences of rioting confront Indonesians
By David J. Lynch
tial rollback of the price in-
USA TODAY
creases and let it be known
Sunday that he also plans a
JAKARTA, Indonesia -
shake-up of his handpicked, 2-
Standing outside an airless
month-old Cabinet. The con-
room full of flies and corpses,
cessions are unlikely to quell
Tamin struggles to remain
demands for the president's
composed.
resignation.
"I don't know whether my
Everybody says it's too
daughter is here or not," he
late," says Herman Wahyuei,
says, shaking his head.
25. a financial analyst.
The 20-year-old woman left
The unrest exploded last
home Wednesday to visit a
week after Suharto ordered
friend who lives near an East
austerity measures under a $43
Jakarta shopping center that
billion rescue plan by the Inter-
burned one day later in Indo-
national Monetary Fund. Loot-
nesia's worst-ever riots. Tamin
ers acted largely out of anger
hasn't seen his daughter since.
over rising food prices and re-
Now, she may be among the
duced subsidies on fuel, trans-
more than 100 blackened
port and electricity.
By I.on. Reuters
husks that line the floor behind
Officials say at least 500 peo-
Days of near-anarchy: A scavenger emerges Saturday from a shop
him casually wrapped in
ple have died in the riots. Most
that burned in last week's rioting in Jakarta.
swatches of black plastic. A
of them were looters trapped
belt buckle here, a scrap of
in department-store fires set by
in Indonesia are rich. They
rates Indonesia's 1908 cam-
clothing there are all that iden-
other rioters. More than 3,000
work hard to get success," she
paign for independence from
tify the remains as having once
buildings and almost 1,000 cars
said, her lip quivering.
its Dutch colonial masters. Stu-
been human. Any unclaimed
have been damaged.
By Enny Nuraheni Reuters
Two fires burned nearby as
dents plan to resume their
bodies are scheduled for a
Expatriates, including up to
Destroyed: An ethnic Chinese man is surrounded by damage in a district in Jakarta that was targeted
the woman, who refused to be
demonstrations, and thousands
mass burial today.
2,300 Americans, have been
by rioters last week Ethnic Chinese have been the main targets of looting and violence in the unrest.
quoted by name, said she had
are expected to march.
The morgue is the most grue-
scrambling for seats aboard
spent 30 years building an elec-
Banners draped on universi-
some legacy of four days of riot-
aircraft headed for Singapore,
Over the weekend, traffic
those who lost everything in
Until Thursday, the Glodok
tronics business "from zero."
ty buildings demand reform
ing that swept Indonesia last
Hong Kong or anywhere out-
flowed normally on city
last week's orgy of looting The
electronics center was the
But in an hours-long rampage,
and an end to the corruption
week after steep increases in
side this suddenly anarchic na-
streets. Tanks and armored
riots erupted after police killed
place to buy televisions, stere-
her livelihood was destroyed.
and nepotism that has charac-
the price of fuel and electricity.
tion of 210 million people. Sat-
personnel carriers remained at
six students Tuesday in a
OS, cameras or computers. To-
She fears that the mob will re-
terized Suharto's reign And
Sunday, residents stepped up
urday, a former Suharto aide
key intersections, but the mili-
peaceful anti-Suharto demon-
day. it is a smoldering ruin of
sume its wrecking later this
the students are drawing sup-
cleanup efforts and girded for
joined those calling for the
tary presence has been re-
stration.
twisted metal.
week - this time destroying
port from the middle class that
what could prove to be a criti-
president to quit.
duced sharply from a few days
By week's end, the protests
Among those who say they
Chinese residences.
Suharto helped create.
cal week - especially for the
Still, Suharto's abrupt return
ago. Orange-suited sanitation
had mutated into a mob frenzy
were victimized was a middle-
If there is a danger of re-
"I hope economic conditions
autocrat who governs.
Friday from an international
workers with brooms and shov-
directed largely against ethnic
aged woman who stood in the
newed violence, a potential
get better soon." says Ramly
Suharto, 76, the former gen-
conference in Cairo did return
els competed with scavengers
Chinese, whom many Indone-
waterlogged alley outside the
trigger could occur Wednesday
Rangun, 47. owner of a shop
eral who has ruled Indonesia
a measure of calm to this jit-
to cart away the riot's residue.
sians resent for their relative
six-story edifice.
on the annual National Awak-
that burned last week. "If not,
for 32 years, has ordered a par-
tery capital.
The calm comes 100 late for
wealth.
"Not all the Chinese people
ening Day, which commemo-
more trouble will happen."
USA TODAY N ONDAY, MAY 18, 1998
Nanda Chitre
02/26/98 04:34:16 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Subject: Statement by the President On Congresswoman Kennelly's Childcare Proposal
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(San Francisco, California)
For Immediate Release
February 26, 1998
Statement by the President
On Congresswoman Kennelly's Childcare Proposal
Last month, I unveiled my child care initiative to make child care better, safer, and
more affordable. Today, I am pleased that Congresswoman Kennelly has introduced
comprehensive child care legislation that is also designed to meet the needs of America's
children and families. Congresswoman Kennelly's bill is a strong package that, like mine,
significantly increases child care subsidies for poor children, provides greater tax relief to help
low-and middle-income families pay for child care, creates a tax credit for businesses that
provide child care for their employees, increases after-school opportunities for children,
promotes early learning, and improves child care quality.
This proposal is a testament to Congresswoman Kennelly's leadership on this issue and
her commitment to the future of our nation's children. I look forward to working with her and
other Members of Congress to enact bipartisan child care legislation that helps Americans
fulfill their responsibilities as workers, and even more important, as parents.
###
Message Sent To:
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
HEALTH CARE FOR KIDS
February 18, 1998
"It shouldn't take a miracle to ensure that all children get the care and insurance they need to stay healthy.
America's health care system is the finest in the world. But for millions of hard-working families, affording even the
most basic health insurance has been nearly impossible. At the same time, millions of families who are already
eligible still do not know they qualify for Medicaid. Last summer's historic balanced budget agreement gave us an
unprecedented opportunity to change this situation, to bring health insurance to more of our children and peace of
mind to their parents."
President Bill Clinton
February 18, 1998
Today, President Clinton announces the first major state coverage expansions under the recently enacted Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and released information showing that many States will soon follow. He also
unveils an unprecedented set of public/private initiatives designed to enroll the millions of uninsured children who
are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and other state-based children's health programs.
Over 10 million children in America are uninsured. Nearly 90 percent of these children have parents who work,
but do not have access to or cannot afford health insurance. Over 3 million of these uninsured children are already
eligible for Medicaid. However, many families are not aware that their children are eligible for Medicaid, and
others have difficulty filling out the application. With these challenges in mind, the President:
ANNOUNCES THE FIRST COVERAGE EXPANSIONS UNDER THE NEW CHIP PROGRAM. Today, the President
announces that Colorado and South Carolina join Alabama as the first states to come into the children's health
program. The President also announces that many more States are well on their way to expanding coverage to
more uninsured children. Currently, 14 states have submitted plans to HHS for approval, and another 18 States
have active working groups or task forces to design plans to address the needs of uninsured children.
RELEASES A NEW PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE To ENROLL UNINSURED CHILDREN. In an executive memorandum
to seven Federal agencies with jurisdiction over children's programs - the Departments of Agriculture, Interior,
Education, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, and Treasury and the Social Security Administration -- the President
directs the establishment of a multi-agency effort to enroll uninsured children.
HIGHLIGHTS BUDGET PROPOSALS THAT PROVIDE MEDICAID ENROLLMENT INCENTIVES. The President's FY
1999 budget invests $900 million over 5 years in children's health outreach policies, including the use of schools
and child care centers to enroll children in Medicaid. It also expands the use of a federally-financed administrative
fund so that it can underwrite the costs for all uninsured children - not just the limited population allowed under
current law.
ANNOUNCES AN HISTORIC PRIVATE SECTOR COMMITMENT To PROVIDE OUTREACH. To complement the
public outreach effort, the President announces unprecedented new contributions from the private sector to help
ensure that all children who are eligible for health insurance receive it, including:
A new toll-free number that directs families around the nation to their state enrollment centers;
Over $23 million in commitments from private foundations across the country;
New initiatives from corporate and advocacy organizations to reach out to uninsured children.
ISSUES A CHALLENGE To AMERICA To FIND NEW WAYS To REACH UNINSURED CHILDREN. The President
challenged every physician, nurse, health care provider, business, school, parent, grandparent, and community
across the nation, to find new ways to ensure that uninsured children eligible for health insurance are enrolled in
Medicaid or CHIP.
SUNTUM M @ A1
02/18/98 02:16:00 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
CC:
Subject: 1998-02-18 President's Remarks at Children's Hospital
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
February 18, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON CHILDREN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE
Children's Hospital
Washington, D.C.
1:43 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Linda. Ned Zechman, thank
you. Thank you, Secretary Shalala, for your wonderful work. And I
thank the First Lady for what is now a more than 25 year crusade to
bring quality health care to children. We're delighted to be joined
by Mayor Barry and members of the D.C. City Council, Congresswoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Congresswoman Diana DeGette from Colorado,
and many, many child advocates in this audience who have been working
on these issues a long, long time.
Last month in the State of the Union address I asked the
American people to work together to strengthen our nation for a new
century, and especially to build the right kind of future for all our
children, with world-class education and quality, affordable health
care.
Let me begin by thanking the men and women who work in
this hospital for their efforts to restore our most fragile children
to health, to give many of them second chances at life. This is a
place where medicine shines and miracles happen every day. But it
should not take a miracle to ensure that children like Linda's
children have the care and insurance they need to stay healthy and to
be treated when they're sick.
I still have a hard time believing that this country,
with the finest health care system in the world, cannot figure out
how to give affordable, quality health insurance coverage to every
single child in America. (Applause.)
Step by step we are working hard to make sure all
Americans get the health care they deserve. Two years ago we passed
a law, and I I signed a law, to make sure every American could keep his
or her insurance when they change jobs or when someone in the family
is ill. Last year, in the historic balanced budget agreement, we
extended the life of the Medicare Trust Fund for more than a decade.
We also made this unprecedented $24 billion commitment to provide
health care to up to 5 million more children, and I want to say more
about that, obviously.
In addition to implementing the provisions of the
balanced budget law to cover children, this year we're also going to
attempt to pass a Health Care Consumer Bill of Rights, which is all
the more important since 160 million Americans are now in managed
care plans. We want to extend Medicare to Americans age 55 to 65 who
have lost their health insurance who can buy into the program. And
of course we want to protect all our children from the dangers of
tobacco, and we're hoping and praying for a comprehensive resolution
of that issue.
But let's go back to the question of covering children.
Congress appropriated the money, $24 billion over five years, with
the goal of insuring 5 million of the 10 million children who don't
today have health insurance. Now, 3 million -- as the First Lady
said, 3 million of the 10 million kids who don't have health
insurance are eligible for the Medicaid program today. If we could
get 100 percent of those children into the Medicaid program, we could
actually insure more than 5 million children for the $24 billion.
But if we don't get any new children into the Medicaid program, or
very few, then we're going to have a very hard time meeting that 5
million goal.
So this issue of not only helping the children and their
families, but also the hospitals and the providers who have to be
reimbursed for the care they give, with expanding the Medicare
program to the children who are eligible, is profoundly important if
we are to reach what I know is the goal of every person in this
audience, which is to provide affordable health insurance coverage to
our children.
Now, this children's health initiative that was part of
the balanced budget agreement, is part of the -- kind of the vision
of government that has driven our administration from its first days.
I always believed that we had to get rid of the deficit and balance
the budget, because otherwise the economy wouldn't work right, we
couldn't get interest rates down, we couldn't have new investment for
businesses to create new jobs, people couldn't afford to buy homes --
we'd have all kinds of problems. But I also always believed that we
had to do it in a way that left more money to invest in our future,
particularly in education and health care and the environment and the
things that will shape the quality of life. So that's what we're
trying to do.
But I want to say again, just the fact that this money
has been appropriated is not enough. We cannot let the appropriation
of money just sit there. We can't just have laws on paper that say
we're going to cover 5 million more people. Those of you who work in
these programs understand that this a complex and challenging task.
Most of these children are like Linda's children. Most
of these kids that we're trying to cover are the children of working
people, who are working hard and doing their very best every day and
paying their taxes and simply cannot afford a traditional health
insurance plan.
One of the ways that we have to deal with this is to
expand Medicaid coverage to the 3 million who are already eligible
under the law. One of the most shocking things to people who don't
have this problem is to find out that huge numbers of these kids are
prevented from getting medical care, simply because their parents
don't know they're eligible.
Therefore, all of us have an obligation to see to it
that every child who can take advantage of this historic investment
in health care does so, and does it now, beginning with the Medicaid
program. The federal government must do its part. States and
businesses and individuals must step up to the plate. And our
message to parents and to teachers, to preachers and to coaches must
be: What you do not know can hurt your children. You have to find
out if your child is eligible for the Medicaid program.
Today, I am launching an all-out effort to let every
family know about health insurance, whether it's Medicaid or another
state program, that is currently or soon will be available because
there are now new children's health programs coming on line under the
program passed in the balanced budget bill.
In a few moments, I will sign an executive memorandum
directing the eight federal agencies who run our children's program,
such as WIC and food stamps, to cooperate in a comprehensive effort
to make sure that every family gets the information they need to
enroll their children, whether from an agency employee or from
pamphlets, toll-free numbers or simplified application form. And I
call on Congress to pass the new funds I am requesting in this
balanced budget to help states publicize their new child health
programs and their child centers and enroll the children in Medicaid
automatically, even as they wait for final approval of their
applications.
Next, and most important, every state must take
responsibility for ensuring that every eligible child within its
borders gets insured. Medicaid is one of the best ways to expand
health insurance to more children and it is a state-run program. I'm
pleased to announce that Colorado and South Carolina will join
Alabama as the first states to expand insurance coverage to more
uninsured children under the bill we passed last year.
But you should know that over 40 more states are well on
their way to expanding their own insurance programs. I applaud the
governors for their commitment and their innovative efforts to enroll
more children. And I thank Ray Scheppach from the Governor's
Association for being here today. We can't rest until every state
has a program and a commitment to implement it.
Finally, the private sector has to help us get the job
done. Many businesses and foundations have already joined in. Bell
Atlantic will provide the leadership to establish a new 800 number
that will direct families to state agencies in charge of Medicaid.
Safeway has agreed to put the 800 number on their shopping bags. The
National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community
Pharmacists Association will help us get the words out whenever
parents pick up prescriptions. Pampers has agreed to include a
letter in parent education packages that go to millions of new
mothers in the hospital. I thank all of them for being exemplary
corporate citizens.
And I'm pleased to announce the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation have committed more than
$23 million to finding better ways to expand coverage and outreach
efforts. America's Promise, the outgrowth of the President's Summit
on Service, made a healthy future for all children one of its five
goals. And along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the
American Hospital Association, the National Association of Education,
all have launched their own efforts to target and enroll uninsured
children. And I thank them.
This is an extraordinary partnership to make sure that
every child gets the health coverage he or she needs to have a fair
and healthy shot at life. But it is only the first step. We need
every parent, every grandparent, doctor, nurse, health care provider,
teacher, business leader, foundation, every community all across
America to work until they find the ways to reach all our children
who can be covered by Medicaid or by the new children's health
insurance program.
Like all parents, Hillary and I know from experience
that nothing can weigh more heavily on your mind than the health of
your child. The slightest cough, the most minor accident can cause
enormous worry. I can barely imagine what it would be like to also
have to worry about finding the money to pay for your children's
health care in the first place.
Too many parents live with these worries every day.
Millions of our fellow Americans -- people who are dedicated
citizens, people who get up every day and go to work, people who pay
the taxes they owe to the government, people who do everything that
is expected of them and still have to worry about the health care of
their children for lack of insurance coverage. This is wrong. If we
really want to make America strong for the 21st century, we will
correct it. We have the tools; it is now up to us to use them.
Thank you very much and God bless you all. (Applause.)
END
1:55 P.M. EST
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03/09/98 12:56:00 PM
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Subject: 1998-3-9 remarks to AMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 9, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Sheraton Washington Hotel
Washington, D.C.
11:58 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much for that warm
welcome. And thank you, Dr. Wootton. He was giving his talk and I
was listening, and I was thinking, I agree with all that, there's
nothing left for me to say. If I knew a couple of funny stories I
could just tell them and leave and thank you for the opportunity.
(Laughter.)
Dr. Dickey, congratulations on being the
President-elect. Dr. Reardon, thank you for serving on the Advisory
Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality. Dr. Smoak, thank you
for telling me there's nothing incompatible between a doctor named
"Smoke" and a campaign against tobacco. (Laughter.) Dr. Jensen,
ladies and gentlemen.
I am honored to be here and to be working with the AMA
on so many important fronts. We have, in the past, sometimes had
honest differences on policy, but have always agreed on our profound
obligation to the health of our nation's families. We're walking
together in a step-by-step approach to health care reform, expanding
the promise of new medical technologies, extending health care
opportunities to the most vulnerable Americans.
Together we've helped Americans to keep their health
coverage when they've changed jobs or someone in their families gets
sick. And in last year's balanced budget agreement we helped to make
sure that up to 5 million uninsured children will get the medical
coverage they deserve and the help they need, with the biggest
increase in health coverage for children since 1965. (Applause.)
We have worked to increase medical research and to
support greater efforts at preservation and care for conditions from
breast cancer to diabetes. Last year in our balanced budget plan,
the diabetes component was said by the American Diabetes Association
to be the most important advance in the treatment and care of
diabetes since the discovery of insulin.
We found the right family doctor for America, Dr. David
Satcher, our new Surgeon General. (Applause.) Last month your voice
were strong and united in support of his nomination, and I thank you,
and America's families thank you. The lesson of these endeavors is
that when we work together we can get things done.
This is a very great moment for America on the edge of a
new century, a new millennium, and a completely new economy and new
global society. We see dramatic changes in the way our people work
and live and relate to each other and the rest of the world. Our
economy is the strongest it's been in a generation. In five years,
we have 15 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment rate in 24
years, the lowest inflation rate in 30 years, the highest home
ownership rate in the history of the country. (Applause.)
Our social problems are on the mend. Crime is at its
lowest rate in 24 years. The welfare rolls are the lowest in 27
years. Teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births are declining. Our
leadership is unrivaled around the world as we work for peace and
freedom and security.
Still, as I said in the State of the Union address,
these good times do not give us the opportunity to rest or withdraw.
Instead, if we are wise, we will use this as a time to act and to
build, to secure our prosperity and strengthen our future, first of
all, by not spending this budget surplus we waited 30 years for
before it exists, and putting Social Security first -- saving Social
Security for the 21st century so that the baby boom generation does
not either bankrupt Social Security or bankrupt their children and
their retirement. That's what we should do before we spend that
surplus. (Applause.)
This is a time to widen the circle of opportunity.
That's what we're doing with adding 5 million children to the health
care rolls. In spite of the fact that we have a 4.6 percent
unemployment rate, there's still neighborhoods, mostly in urban
America, sometimes in rural America, where the recovery has not yet
been felt. And our greatest opportunity to continue to grow the
economy with low inflation is to bring the miracles of free
enterprise and high technology into these neighborhoods that have not
yet felt them.
We also have to look at our long-term challenges. And
I'll just mention two or three that go beyond health care, but will
affect you, your children, and your grand children. First, as the
recent International Math and Science Test results for seniors
showed, we may have the best system of college education in the
world, and we have now opened the doors of college to everyone with
tax credits and scholarships and work-study provisions and community
service provisions. But no one seriously believes we have the best
system of elementary and secondary education in the world. And we
must keep working to raise standards and increase accountability and
increase performance until we do have the best system of elementary
and secondary education in the world. (Applause.)
Second, we have to recognize that what you do for a
living, worry about people's health, is going to increasingly be
affected by global development. Global travel patterns have given us
something called airport malaria now, a phenomenon no one ever knew
about. And we have to recognize furthermore that a lot of what we
deal with in health care will be affected by the overall condition of
the environment. That's why the issue of global climate change is so
important. We have malaria now at higher altitudes than ever before
recorded because of the climate change. A lot of you are probably
noticing as you hear from me that your allergies are a little worse
in the springtime with El Nino, even in Washington, when you don't
think it could ever be any worse than it is normally. So we have to
deal with the climate change issue.
We have to deal with the problems of weapons of mass
destruction. Even as we reduce the nuclear threat, we see on the
horizon the prospect that small-scale nuclear weapons or biological
or chemical weapons in the hands of terrorists, drug traffickers,
organized criminals, rogue states could change the whole future of
security for our children. We have to cooperate more with other
countries for peace and prosperity around the world.
In a few days I'm going to Africa and I will be the
first sitting American President ever to visit the nations in Africa
where I'm going to visit. But they're a big part of our future,
economically, politically, and in terms of our shared concerns over
health and environmental matters.
Now, I'd like you to see the particular issues I want to
discuss today in this larger context. Are we doing what we should be
doing to prepare this country for a new century, to widen the circle
of opportunity, to strengthen the bonds that unite us together, to
reenforce our values, to make our freedom mean more in the future?
All of these issues should be seen against that background.
This is a moment of great promise, but it's also a
moment of great obligation. Every American decision-maker, including
all the members of the Congress, but all the rest of us as well, must
decide whether we believe that, because when times are good the
easiest thing to do is to relax, enjoy it, express relief.
If anybody told me the day I took office as President
that in five years the stock market would go from 3200 to 8500 and
we'd have 15 million new jobs and almost two-thirds of the American
people would be in their own homes, and all the other things, I would
have said, maybe, but probably not. Having achieved that, and having
stepped on all the hot coals that were necessary to get from where we
were then to where we are now, it is easy for people to say, well,
let's relax. That would be a terrible mistake. That's the number
one message I have today.
We have to move. Prosperity and confidence give us the
freedom of movement that we have to seize. We have to move. This is
not a time to sit still. It's a time to bear down and go forward,
and we need your help. (Applause.)
Now, there are fewer than 70 -- 70 -- working days left
in Washington before Congress adjourns. Now, this is an election
year, and the work schedule is always somewhat shorter in an election
year, and that's understandable. But it's unusually limited this
year. How will the 105th Congress go down in history? I want it to
go down in history as a Congress that saved lives by passing the
Patient's Bill of Rights -- (applause) by passing tough and
sweeping tobacco legislation -- (applause) -- by passing the Research
Fund for the 21st Century with its big increase in medical research,
and extending health care coverage to those who presently are
uninsured. That's what I want this Congress to go down with.
(Applause.)
The next 70 days will tell the tale. Will this Congress
go down in history as one that passed land mark legislation to save
lives and strengthen America for the new century; or one that was
dominated by partisan election year politics?
The calendar tells us that this is an election year.
That's a good thing -- we need one every now and then. ((Laughter.)
Have the debates and have the discussion. But as I have told every
member of Congress in both parties with whom I have discussed this,
no matter how much we get done this year there will still be things
at the end of the year on which honorable people in both parties
disagree -- more than enough over which to have an honest, fruitful,
meaty election. This election should not be allowed to obscure the
fact that the American people want it to be not only an election
year, but a productive legislative year for the health and welfare of
our country and our future. (Applause.)
Dr. Wootton has already talked about the Patient's Bill
of Rights, but I want to say a few things about it. Because my
mother was a nurse anesthetist, I grew up around doctors from the
time I was a little boy. They were the first professional people
that I ever knew. Most of them were the kind of people we'd all like
our children to grow up to be. They were hard-working, able, kind,
caring people. Most doctors today are as well. But the world of
medical practice if very different today than it was 40 years ago,
when I first started looking at it through the eyes of a child -- not
altogether worse, of course. There are many things that are better.
We have higher life expectancy, the lowest infant mortality rate
we've ever recorded, the highest rate of childhood immunization,
dramatic advances in medicines and medical technologies and all kinds
of treatments.
We also have more than 160 million Americans in managed
care plans. And while there have been some problems with them, all
of us have to be glad when health care costs don't go up at four or
five times the rate of inflation.
Still, it's often harder for you just to be doctors.
When a doctor spends almost as much time with a bookkeeper as with a
patient, something is wrong. (Applause.) If you have to spend more
time filling out forms than making rounds, something is wrong.
(Applause.) And most important to me, when medical decisions are
made by someone other than a doctor, and something other than the
best interests of the patient is the bottom line, then something is
wrong. (Applause.) I think we should have a simple standard:
traditional care or managed care, every American deserves quality
care. (Applause.)
We all have our stories, and yours are more firsthand
and perhaps fresher than mine, but I never will forget reading a few
weeks ago about a woman who worked in an oncologist's office to
verify insurance coverage and get authorizations for medical
procedures, who told us the story of a 12-year-old boy with a
cancerous tumor in his leg. The doctor wanted to perform a procedure
to save the boy's leg, but the health plan said no. It seems that
for that condition, the only approved procedure was amputation. And
that was the only procedure the plan would pay for. The child's
parents appealed the decision, but they were turned down. They
appealed again and were turned down again. Only when the father's
employer weighed in did the health plan change its mind. By then, it
was too late, the boy's cancer had spread, and amputation was the
only choice left. Of course, it was covered by the health plan.
That is a choice no family should have to make. If the
doctor had been able to do the right thing, the child would have been
better off, and the system would have been better served.
We have the best-trained, best-skilled doctors in the
world, the best medical education, the best medical technology.
We're all getting a lot smarter than we used to be about prevention.
The first thing your President said to me is, "I'm a cardiologist,
take this golf club and stay in good shape." (Laughter.) We're
getting better at it. But it is madness to strain at a gnat and
swallow a camel. And it happens, over and over and over again.
There are no fewer than 500 stories that could come up
in this audience right now within a half an hour not all that
different from the one I just told. That is what we seek to address.
That's what the Patient's Bill of Rights is all about -- to put
medical decisions back into the hands of doctors and their patients.
I have already acted, as your president said, to ensure that federal
employees and their families, military personnel, veterans and their
families, everyone on Medicare and Medicaid -- altogether about a
third of our people -- are covered by the Patient's Bill of Rights.
And across our nation, state legislators and governors,
both Republican and Democratic, are doing what they can. Forty-three
states have enacted into law one or more of the basic provisions of
the Patient's Bill of Rights. But state laws and the patchwork of
reforms can't protect most Americans. At least 140 million of them
are without basic protection. That's why we need the federal
Patient's Bill of Rights with the full force of federal law.
(Applause.)
The Hippocratic Oath binds doctors -- and I quote -- "to
follow that method of treatment which according to my ability and
judgment I consider for the benefit of my patients." That is your
responsibility, and should be your patient's right -- to know all the
medical options, not just the cheapest; primary care when possible,
specialists when necessary. That's why the Patient's Bill of Rights
lifts the gag order on our nation's doctors and allows patients to
follow your best recommendations by appealing unfair decisions by
managed care accountants.
Patients also should have a right to keep their medical
records confidential. (Applause.) Doctors must feel free to write
down the whole truth without it ending up on the Internet or in the
hands of employers and marketing firms or increasing a patient's
insurance rates. (Applause.)
Again, the Hippocratic Oath says, all such shall be kept
secret. That's why the Patient's Bill of Rights safeguards the
sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. Patients have a right
to emergency services wherever and whenever they need it. And when
the EMTs are wheeling a new arrival into the emergency room, the last
thing you or the patient should have to worry about is the fine print
on the health plan. (Applause.)
Again I say, there are less than 70 days remaining in
this legislative session, but there is broad bipartisan support in
this Congress for this legislation. We have acted, and our
administration. States have acted. The AMA has acted. You must
impress upon the Congress the urgency of passing this legislation.
Believe me, a majority of the Congress, a huge majority in both
Houses and members of both parties, are for this. It is just a
question of mustering the will to get the job done and going through
some of the very difficult issues around the edged that have to be
resolved. But there is utterly no reason not to do this this year.
You can get it done if you work at it. (Applause.)
The other great issue before the Congress in health care
is, of course, tobacco. Now, you're right, Dr. Wootton, I did read
The Journal of the American Medical Association special edition on
tobacco. I read it all from start to finish. And it was a great
service to me and the American people, and I thank you very much for
it.
Again, you can argue about some of the fine print, but
the big picture is clear: Every single day, even though it is
illegal in every state in America, 3,000 kids start to smoke; 1,000
of them will die earlier because of it. This amounts to a national
epidemic and a national tragedy. You know as well as 1 do that more
people die from smoking-related illnesses every year than from most
other things that cause death in America put together. As
physicians, you also know that in the end, the only way that we have
to deal with this today with absolute conviction is with preventive
care: don't do it in the first place. (Applause.)
Now, for more than five years, we have worked to stop
our children from smoking before they start. We launched a
nationwide campaign with the FDA to educate children about the
dangers of smoking, to reduce access of children to tobacco products,
to put a stop to tobacco companies that spend millions mass-marketing
to our young people.
Last fall, I asked Congress to pass comprehensive,
bipartisan legislation to reduce teen smoking by raising the price of
cigarettes up to $1.50 a pack over the next several years, imposing
strong penalties on tobacco companies that keep on advertising to
children, and giving the FDA full authority to regulate children's
access to tobacco products.
If we do this, we can cut teen smoking by almost half in
five years. We can stop almost 3 million from taking that first
drag. We can prevent almost 1 million premature deaths. But again,
the clock is ticking.
And, yes, there are lots of complicated issues. You
know, because this is a five or six-part package, there are several
committees and sub-committees involved. And because there is some
controversy around the edges about how much money should be raised
how quickly from the tobacco tax and what it should be spent on,
there are some difficult issues to be resolved. And, yes, I know
that there are only 70 days. But if we know that the lives of 1,000
children a day are at stake, how can we walk away from this
legislative session without a solution to the tobacco issue?
(Applause.)
There are two other issues I'd like to mention to you.
The first relates to Medicare. This week -- or, excuse me -- last
week, I attended the first meeting of the bipartisan Medicare
Commission appointed by the leaders of the House and the Senate and
the White House to look for long-term reform for Medicare for the
21st century. As you know, we have secured the Medicare trust fund
for another decade with some very difficult decisions. But there are
a lot of unresolved issues out there, and in some ways the complexity
of the Medicare problem is greater than the complexity of the Social
Security problem. At least it has to be dealt with sooner in time.
So I want to urge your support for the Medicare Commission and your
involvement in it.
I also have made a specific proposal with regard to
Medicare that I believe should be passed this year without regard to
the work of the Medicare Commission, and I ask you to carefully
review it and I hope you'll support it. It would give a vulnerable
group of Americans, displaced workers 55 and over -- people who
either voluntarily take early retirement and they're promised health
care but the promise is broken, or people who are laid off and they
can't find another job and they lose their job-related health
insurance -- and other seniors, principally people who are married to
folks who lose their old health insurance because they start being
covered by Medicare, but they're not old enough to be on Medicare so
they lose the family coverage and they don't have anything -- it
would take this group of Americans and give them the chance to buy
into Medicare at cost.
The Congressional Budget Office just reported that the
policy will cost even less and will benefit even more people than we
in our administration had estimated, and agreed with us that it will
have no burden whatever on the Medicare trust fund. It will not
shorten the life of the trust fund, nor will it complicate in any way
our attempts at the long-term reform of Medicare. We're talking
about somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 people that are just out
there, that had health insurance and now don't have any -- at a
particularly vulnerable time in their lives. So I hope you will
support that.
The second thing I'd like to ask for your support for
involves a project that Hillary has worked very hard on to sort of
leave some gifts for our country in the new millennium. The project
motto is "honoring our past and imagining our future." Among other
things, we're working with the Congress to get the funds necessary to
save, for example, the Star-Spangled Banner, which is in terrible
shape. We need to spend, believe it or not, $13 million to restore
the flag -- and to make sure that the 200 years of lighting don't
destroy the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the
Bill of Rights; and to try to get every community in the country to
find those things in each community which are most important to their
history and save them.
But we're also looking at the future. And perhaps the
most important thing about the future-oriented nature of this project
is the Research Fund for the 21st Century, which has a huge increase
in research for all forms of scientific research and development, but
especially has the largest increase in funding for the NIH in history
and doubling the funding for the National Cancer Institute.
We are on the verge of unlocking a number of medical
mysteries, as you know. Last year, for example, we had the first
sign of movement in the lower limbs of laboratory animals with
severed spines. The Human Genome Project is proceeding at a rapid
pace, with implications which still stagger the imagination. Again I
say, we have the money to do this. We can do this within the
balanced budget. And while there may not be time to resolve every
issue I'd like to see resolved in this Congress, we should nail down
now this Research Fund for the 21st Century. There has been terrific
support, in the Republican as well as in the Democratic caucuses.
This has not been a partisan issue. It is just the question of
getting the job done in the next 70 days.
So while you're here, let me say again, a big part of
building America for the 21st century is building a healthier
America, and building an America where people feel secure with the
health care they have, and they feel it has integrity. We need the
Patient's Bill of Rights. We need action on the tobacco front. We
need reform of Medicare long-term. We need to help these people that
are falling between the gaps because they're not old enough yet. And
we need to continue in an intensified way our commitment to research.
Let us take the benefit of our prosperity and finally having a
balanced budget and invest the kind of money in research that we know
-- we know -- will ensure benefits beyond our wildest imagination.
We can do all this in the next 70 days, but to do it
we'll have to do it together. I need your help. Your patients need
your help. Your country will be richly rewarded if you can persuade
the Congress to act in these areas.
Thank you and God bless you. (Applause.)
END
12:26 P.M. EST
Message Sent To: