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George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
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Speechwriting, White House Office of
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Speech File Draft Files
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Surgeon General's Conference 2/10/92 [OA 6097]
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4
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
February 10, 1992
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN ADDRESS TO THE SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
ON "HEALTHY CHILDREN READY TO LEARN"
Ramada Renaissance Hotel
Washington, D.C.
2:07 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Dr. Sullivan. And might I
just say at the beginning of these brief remarks that I am very proud
of Lou Sullivan and what he's doing as Secretary of HHS. He's doing
a superb job and we all are grateful to him. (Applause.) And when
Dr. Novello and Lou suggested I could be here, let me just say it's a
pleasure to be here today to help launch this historic conference.
I particularly want to thank our Surgeon General,
Antonia Novello. (Applause.) I see she brought most of her family
with her. (Laughter.) No, but let me just say this, as an observer
with a pretty good observation post: She's inspired people all
across the country with her example and her message. And she sums it
up this way -- she sums up the message better than anyone: "All
children have a right to be healthy." Then she says: "We need to
speak for those who cannot speak for themselves."
And that's why you've gathered here this week, and
you've come to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and
teachers and public programs and private enterprise -- a movement
destined to transform America. And here's our goal -- what's that
guy got going? (Laughter.) I think it's wonderful these kids are
here, I really do. (Laughter and applause.) Makes me feel right at
home. (Applause.) Here's are goal -- our goal: By the year 2000,
every American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
(Applause.)
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for
our children. And it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America remains
the undisputed leader of the world.
Now, I am proud that our administration is part of this
movement. In this administration, families come first. (Applause.)
We're proud to join hands with people like Trish Solomon Thomas,
who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon. (Applause.)
A little history. She has two children -- both of them
with special health needs. And she perfectly expressed the spirit of
our movement when she said, "I used to be shy, but I had to learn to
stand up for my kids." And that's why we're here: to stand up for
our kids. And we will not let them down. (Applause.)
Our movement draws its strength from Trish and the
millions of parents like her. The title of this conference says it
all: "Healthy Children Ready To Learn: The Critical Role Of
Parents." Now, parents are a child's "first teachers,' offering the
love and spiritual nourishment that no government program can ever
hope to provide.
And if I can brag for just a minute here today -- you
may know of Barbara's work promoting literacy. And I'm very proud of
MORE
- 2 -
her. She wants to help parents understand just how important it is
to read to their kids. And when parents read aloud to their young
ones, they open their children to the joy of a larger world; they
teach the self-assurance and curiosity that comes from learning.
Barbara asked me to extend her best wishes. She's now on a learning
program, an education program right this minute, in the state of
Mississippi. (Applause.) Don't know whether you're clapping because
she's there or because she's interested in education, but
nevertheless -- (Laughter.)
Q
Mississippi.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, a little Mississippi delegation
here. (Applause.)
But anyway, our movement instills the habits of good
health -- wholesome nutrition, sound hygiene, and protective measures
like early immunization. Parents know: Learning and health are two
sides, really, of the same coin.
And again, parents, families, communities are the key.
But government can help, must help. Last June, for example, Dr.
Sullivan and I, with able advice from Dr. Novello, took steps to
ensure that no American child is at risk from deadly diseases like
polio, diptheria and measles. And we launched an initiative to
support childhood immunizations -- especially immunizations for kids
in the early years of life.
Now, that's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. And
I'm proud we've been able to help. Since 1988, we've more than
tripled the dollars for federal immunization efforts -- from $98
million to $297 million for 1992.
On Friday, Dr. Sullivan and the Surgeon General and
I -- we were just talking about it outside -- were out in San Diego,
and we had the privilege of visiting Logan Heights Family Health
Center to see firsthand the benefits of this initiative. We spoke
with parents and community leaders, and every one of them stressed
the importance of early immunization in preventing illness.
Logan Heights, one of many, I'm sure, but it's a perfect
example of what can be done if concerned individuals set their minds
to it. The Center was founded by a wonderful woman named Laura
Rodriguez, who's become one of our administration's what we call
Points of Light -- helping others, setting an example in the process.
Laura saw a need; and with hard work and dedication, she rolled up
here sleeves and did something about it. Logan Heights now serves
75,000 patients a year. So I say thank God for people like Laura.
She's an example for all of us. And there are many, many other
examples right here in this room.
And for those kids who need a head start in preparing
for school, we've made sure that they' get it. In the last three
years, we have almost doubled the funding for Head Start programs,
and this year I have proposed the largest single increase in Head
Start's history: $600 million. (Applause.) This year's increase
will ensure that 157,000 more kids will be able to start school ready
to learn.
Head Start brings children and parents into the
classroom, into the learning process. Head Starts work because
parents take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
-- (applause) -- Head Start works because people care. And we're
making sure it continues to work. If it's good for America's kids,
it's good for America.
These are important steps. But there's more to do. And
we must address the larger issues of American health care. And last
- 3 -
week, I proposed a four-point plan to do just that. Every American
family must have access to affordable, high-quality care.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
right here in this room. Right now, more than eight million children
go without health insurance because skyrocketing costs have placed
coverage beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move on
to a different job -- or, worse still, lose the job they have. You
shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No American
family should. And my proposal will put an end to that. (Applause.)
And yet, I think we should keep one thing in mind. It's
important to remember -- for all' its problems the system, our health
care system still provides the best health care in the world. And
that's why people from all over the world come here seeking better
care. Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in
which the government dictates how much care you'll get and what kind
you'll get and when you'll get it. In America, that's unacceptable.
Our great challenge, then, is to keep what works in our
system and then reform what doesn't work. We must maintain a maximum
freedom of choice and the highest quality care. And at the same
time, we must make sure that our children have access to health care
their parents can afford, sick or healthy, rich or poor.
That's what this four-point plan does; and let me just
briefly spell it out for you. First, to make health care more
affordable and accessible, I want a $3,750 tax credit for low-income
families to help them buy health insurance; for middle-income
families, I've proposed a tax deduction for the same amount. Poor
people, those who don't file taxes, would be covered under this plan.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. The math is simple: the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per individual. So what we've done is this:
We've proposed health insurance networks that bring companies
together to cut administrative costs and make insurance affordable
for working parents.
And third, we must cut out the waste and abuse. We can
start with medical malpractice lawsuits that drive up the cost of
care for everyone. A doctor pestered with frivolous litigation ends
up passing his legal costs right along to you, the American people
and right along to the patient. And when you go to the doctor, I
don't want you to have to pay a lawyer, too. Just pay the doctor.
(Applause.)
And finally, we must slow the spiraling costs of federal
health programs. These costs are rising far beyond the rate of
inflation, which only endangers important benefits while making less
money available for other pressing needs.
There it is. A common-sense reform that will maintain
high-quality care, cut costs, ensure maximum freedom of choice and
give every family, rich or poor, sick or healthy, access to health
care. I know how important this is, particularly for parents who
have children with special needs. And my plan will assure that you
can change jobs without endangering the health insurance your child
depends on. We're building on our system's strengths. And we're
avoiding the pitfalls of nationalized care, the kind that people from
all over the world come to America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of Healthy
Children Ready To Learn must build on a basic truth: in this country
families come first. Government programs that overtake the rightful
role of families and communities, that deny them the freedom of
choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply unacceptable.
(Applause.) Our movement is about strengthening families.
- 4 -
And over the next few days I'm told you will continue a
great national dialogue, share information, explore new ideas and
then return to your communities to lead the good fight. Your
commitment is an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me by to
get a feeling of it firsthand.
And may God bless all of you. And now this little guy
-- I've got to tell you, those in the back -- when I walked in and
was sitting here looking very serious waiting for the doctor to
introduce me, this guy in the blue, he goes like this to me.
(Laughter.) And I had to tell him, no, I have to stay up here. You
know, I tried to communicate with him, but now I'm going to invite
him to come up here and say hello to me.
But thank you all and may God bless America.
(Applause.) Thank you very, very much.
END
2:21 P.M. EST
Document No. 306335ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
92 JAN 7 P12 : 54
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
>
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER Ellen
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
FITZWATER
MCBRIDE 2861
GRAY Janet Requist N/L
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
92 FEB 10 P1:01
THANK YOU, DR. SULLIVAN.
IT'S SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY, TO HELP
LAUNCH THIS HISTORIC CONFERENCE. I PARTICULARLY WANT
TO THANK SURGEON GENERAL ANTONIA NOVELLO, WHO'S
INSPIRED PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH HER EXAMPLE
AND HER MESSAGE. SHE SUMS UP THAT MESSAGE BETTER THAN
ANYONE: "ALL CHILDREN HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HEALTHY. WE
NEED TO SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT SPEAK FOR
THEMSELVES."
THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE GATHERED HERE THIS WEEK. YOU
HAVE COME TO LEAD A GREAT MOVEMENT OF PARENTS AND
DOCTORS AND TEACHERS, OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND PRIVATE
ENTERPRISE - -- A MOVEMENT DESTINED TO TRANSFORM AMERICA.
HERE'S OUR GOAL: BY THE YEAR 2000, EVERY AMERICAN CHILD
WILL START SCHOOL HEALTHY AND READY TO LEARN.
- 2 -
OUR SUCCESS WILL PROVIDE A LIFETIME OF OPPORTUNITY
FOR OUR CHILDREN. IT WILL GUARANTEE THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF OUR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS, AND IT WILL
ENSURE THAT AMERICA REMAINS THE UNDISPUTED LEADER OF
THE WORLD.
I AM PROUD THAT OUR ADMINISTRATION IS PART OF THIS
MOVEMENT. IN THIS ADMINISTRATION, FAMILIES COME FIRST.
WE'RE PROUD TO JOIN HANDS WITH PEOPLE LIKE PATRICIA
SOLOMON THOMAS, WHO'S COME FROM NEW MEXICO TO BE HERE
THIS AFTERNOON.
PATRICIA HAS TWO CHILDREN - BOTH OF THEM WITH
SPECIAL HEALTH NEEDS. SHE PERFECTLY EXPRESSED THE
SPIRIT OF OUR MOVEMENT WHEN SHE SAID, "I USED TO BE
SHY, BUT I HAD TO LEARN TO STAND UP FOR MY KIDS."
THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE: TO STAND UP FOR THE KIDS. AND
WE WON'T LET THEM DOWN.
- 3 -
OUR MOVEMENT DRAWS ITS STRENGTH FROM PATRICIA AND
THE MILLIONS OF PARENTS LIKE HER. THE TITLE OF THIS
CONFERENCE SAYS IT ALL: "HEALTHY CHILDREN READY TO
LEARN: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF PARENTS." PARENTS ARE A
CHILD'S "FIRST TEACHERS," OFFERING THE LOVE AND
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT THAT NO GOVERNMENT PROGRAM CAN
EVER HOPE TO PROVIDE.
IF I CAN BRAG FOR JUST A MOMENT HERE -- YOU MAY
KNOW OF BARBARA'S WORK PROMOTING LITERACY. I'M PRETTY
PROUD OF HER. SHE WANTS TO HELP PARENTS UNDERSTAND HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS TO READ TO THEIR KIDS. WHEN PARENTS
READ ALOUD TO THEIR YOUNG ONES, THEY OPEN THEIR
CHILDREN TO THE JOY OF A LARGER WORLD; THEY TEACH THE
SELF-ASSURANCE AND CURIOSITY THAT COME FROM LEARNING.
- 4 -
AND OUR MOVEMENT INSTILLS THE HABITS OF GOOD HEALTH
-- WHOLESOME NUTRITION, SOUND HYGIENE, AND PROTECTIVE
MEASURES LIKE EARLY IMMUNIZATION. PARENTS KNOW:
LEARNING AND HEALTH ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN.
AGAIN, PARENTS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES ARE THE KEY
-- BUT GOVERNMENT CAN HELP. LAST JUNE, FOR INSTANCE,
DR. SULLIVAN AND I TOOK STEPS TO ENSURE THAT NO
AMERICAN CHILD IS AT RISK FROM DEADLY DISEASES LIKE
POLIO, DIPHTHERIA AND MEASLES. WE LAUNCHED AN
INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATIONS --
ESPECIALLY IMMUNIZATIONS FOR KIDS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF
LIFE.
THAT'S A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARD MEETING OUR GOAL. I'M
PROUD WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP. SINCE 1988, WE'VE MORE
THAN TRIPLED THE DOLLARS FOR FEDERAL IMMUNIZATION
EFFORTS -- FROM $98 MILLION TO $297 MILLION FOR 1992.
- 5 -
ON FRIDAY, DR. SULLIVAN, THE SURGEON GENERAL AND I
WERE OUT IN SAN DIEGO AND HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF VISITING
LOGAN HEIGHTS FAMILY HEALTH CENTER, TO SEE FIRSTHAND
THE BENEFITS OF THIS INITIATIVE. WE SPOKE WITH PARENTS
AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND EVERYONE OF THEM STRESSED
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY IMMUNIZATION IN PREVENTING
ILLNESS.
LOGAN HEIGHTS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT CAN BE
DONE IF CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS SET THEIR MINDS TO IT.
THE CENTER WAS FOUNDED BY LAURA RODRIGUEZ, WHO'S BECOME
ONE OF OUR ADMINISTRATION'S POINTS OF LIGHT. LAURA SAW
A NEED, AND WITH HARD WORK AND DEDICATION, SHE DID
SOMETHING ABOUT IT. LOGAN HEIGHTS NOW SERVES 75,000
PATIENTS A YEAR. THANK GOD FOR PEOPLE LIKE LAURA.
SHE'S AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL OF US.
- 6 -
AND FOR THOSE KIDS WHO NEED A HEAD START IN
PREPARING FOR SCHOOL, WE'VE MADE SURE THEY'LL GET IT.
IN THE LAST THREE YEARS WE HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED FUNDING
FOR HEAD START PROGRAMS, AND THIS YEAR I HAVE PROPOSED
THE LARGEST SINGLE INCREASE IN HEAD START'S HISTORY --
$600 MILLION. THIS YEAR'S INCREASE WILL ENSURE THAT
157,000 MORE KIDS WILL BE ABLE TO START SCHOOL READY TO
LEARN.
HEAD START BRINGS CHILDREN AND PARENTS INTO THE
CLASSROOM -- - INTO THE LEARNING PROCESS. HEAD START
WORKS BECAUSE PARENTS TAKE THE LEAD. YOU MAY NOT KNOW
THIS, BUT VOLUNTEERS IN HEAD START OUTNUMBER PAID STAFF.
BY EIGHT-TO-ONE. HEAD START WORKS -- BECAUSE PEOPLE
CARE. AND WE'RE MAKING SURE IT CONTINUES TO WORK. IF
IT'S GOOD FOR AMERICA'S KIDS, IT'S GOOD FOR AMERICA.
- 7 -
THESE ARE IMPORTANT STEPS. BUT THERE'S MORE WE
MUST DO. WE MUST ADDRESS THE LARGER ISSUES OF AMERICAN
HEALTH CARE. LAST WEEK, I PROPOSED A FOUR-POINT PLAN
TO DO JUST THAT. EVERY AMERICAN FAMILY MUST HAVE
ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, HIGH-QUALITY CARE.
I DON'T NEED TO TELL YOU THAT THE AMERICAN HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM HAS PROBLEMS. THE CRISIS HAS PROBABLY
TOUCHED MANY OF YOU HERE IN THIS ROOM. RIGHT NOW, MORE
THAN EIGHT MILLION CHILDREN GO WITHOUT HEALTH
INSURANCE, BECAUSE SKYROCKETING COSTS HAVE PLACED
COVERAGE BEYOND THE REACH OF THEIR PARENTS. AND EVEN
PARENTS WHO ARE COVERED WORRY ABOUT LOSING THEIR
FAMILY'S INSURANCE IF THEY MOVE ON TO A DIFFERENT JOB
OR, WORSE STILL, LOSE THE JOB THEY HAVE.
YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS KIND OF
UNCERTAINTY. NO AMERICAN FAMILY SHOULD. MY PROPOSAL
WILL PUT AN END TO IT.
- 8 -
YET IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: FOR ALL ITS
PROBLEMS, OUR SYSTEM STILL PROVIDES THE BEST HEALTH
CARE IN THE WORLD. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE
GLOBE COME HERE SEEKING BETTER CARE. MOST OFTEN
THEY'RE TRYING TO ESCAPE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS IN WHICH
THE GOVERNMENT DICTATES HOW MUCH CARE YOU'LL GET, WHAT
KIND YOU'LL GET, AND WHEN YOU'LL GET IT. IN AMERICA,
THAT'S SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE.
OUR GREAT CHALLENGE IS TO KEEP WHAT WORKS IN OUR
SYSTEM AND REFORM WHAT DOESN'T. WE MUST MAINTAIN A
MAXIMUM FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND THE HIGHEST QUALITY CARE.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE MUST MAKE SURE OUR CHILDREN HAVE
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE THEIR PARENTS CAN AFFORD, SICK OR
HEALTHY, RICH OR POOR.
THAT'S WHAT MY FOUR-POINT PLAN DOES. LET ME
BRIEFLY SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU.
- 9 -
FIRST, TO MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE AND
ACCESSIBLE, I WANT A $3,750 TAX CREDIT FOR LOW INCOME
FAMILIES TO HELP THEM BUY HEALTH INSURANCE; FOR MIDDLE
INCOME FAMILIES, I'VE PROPOSED A TAX DEDUCTION FOR THE
SAME AMOUNT.
SECOND, TO CUT COSTS, WE WILL MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE
EFFICIENT. THE MATH IS SIMPLE: THE LARGER THE GROUP
BEING COVERED, THE LOWER THE COST PER INDIVIDUAL.
WE'VE PROPOSED HEALTH INSURANCE NETWORKS THAT BRING
COMPANIES TOGETHER TO CUT ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND MAKE
INSURANCE AFFORDABLE FOR WORKING PARENTS.
THIRD, WE MUST CUT WASTE AND ABUSE. WE CAN START
WITH MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS THAT DRIVE UP THE
COST OF CARE FOR EVERYONE. A DOCTOR PESTERED WITH
FRIVOLOUS LITIGATION ENDS UP PASSING HIS LEGAL COSTS
ALONG TO YOU, THE PATIENT. WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR,
I DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE TO PAY A LAWYER, TOO.
- 10 -
FINALLY, WE MUST SLOW THE SPIRALING COSTS OF
FEDERAL HEALTH PROGRAMS. THESE COSTS ARE RISING FAR
BEYOND THE RATE OF INFLATION -- WHICH ONLY ENDANGERS
IMPORTANT BENEFITS WHILE MAKING LESS MONEY AVAILABLE
FOR OTHER PRESSING NEEDS.
THERE IT IS: A COMMON-SENSE REFORM THAT WILL
MAINTAIN HIGH-QUALITY CARE, CUT COSTS, ENSURE MAXIMUM
FREEDOM OF CHOICE, AND GIVE EVERY FAMILY -- RICH OR
POOR, SICK OR HEALTHY -- ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. I KNOW
HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, PARTICULARLY FOR PARENTS WHO
HAVE CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. MY PLAN WILL ASSURE
THAT YOU CAN CHANGE JOBS WITHOUT ENDANGERING THE HEALTH.
INSURANCE YOUR CHILD DEPENDS ON. WE'RE BUILDING ON OUR
SYSTEM'S STRENGTHS. AND WE'RE AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF
NATIONALIZED CARE, THE KIND THAT PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD COME TO AMERICA TO ESCAPE.
- 11 -
ALL THESE APPROACHES FOR MEETING OUR GOAL OF
HEALTHY CHILDREN READY TO LEARN MUST BUILD ON A BASIC
TRUTH: IN THIS COUNTRY, FAMILIES COME FIRST.
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS THAT OVERTAKE THE RIGHTFUL ROLE OF
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, THAT DENY THEM FREEDOM OF
CHOICE OR BIND THEM UP IN RED TAPE, ARE SIMPLY
UNACCEPTABLE. OUR MOVEMENT IS ABOUT STRENGTHENING
FAMILIES.
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS YOU WILL CONTINUE A GREAT
NATIONAL DIALOGUE, SHARE INFORMATION, EXPLORE NEW
IDEAS, AND THEN RETURN TO YOUR COMMUNITIES TO LEAD THIS
GOOD FIGHT. YOUR COMMITMENT IS AN INSPIRATION, AND I
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
#
#
#
#
306335SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
92 JAN 10 A10: 35
2/7/92
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
)
PORTER
BROMLEY
ROGICH
CALIO
ROLLINS
DEMAREST
SMITH
FITZWATER
KAUFMAN
GRAY
HOLIDAY
FINDLAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." " Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 10, 1992
Draft Five
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. I particularly want to thank Surgeon
General Antonia Novello, who's inspired people all across the
country with her example and her message. She sums up that
message better than anyone: "All children have a right to be
healthy. We need to speak for those who cannot speak for
themselves."
That's why you have gathered here this week. You have come
to lead a great movement of parents and doctors and teachers, of
public programs and private enterprise -- a movement destined to
transform America. Here's our goal: by the year 2000, every
American child will start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will provide a lifetime of opportunity for our
children. It will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods, and it will ensure that America
remains the undisputed leader of the world.
I am proud that our administration is part of this movement.
In this administration, families come first.
We're proud to join hands with people like Patricia Solomon
Thomas, who's come from New Mexico to be here this afternoon.
THE WHITE HOUSE
February 10, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
AD
TONY SNOW
FROM:
ANDY FERGUSON at
SUBJECT:
SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
This afternoon, at 2 p.m., you will address 700 attendees at
the Surgeon General's Conference. Your remarks (15 minutes,
teleprompter) focus on the Surgeon General's "Healthy Children
Ready to Learn" initiative as crucial in working toward the first
education goal: By the year 2000, all children will start school
ready to learn.
2
Patricia has two children -- both of them with special
health needs. She perfectly expressed the spirit of our movement
when she said, "I used to be shy, but I had to learn to stand up
for my kids. " That's why we're here: to stand up for the kids.
And we won't let them down.
Our movement draws its strength from Patricia and the
millions of parents like her. The title of this conference says
it all: "Healthy Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of
Parents. " Parents are a child's "first teachers," offering the
love and spiritual nourishment that no government program can
ever hope to provide.
If I can brag for just a moment here -- you may know of
Barbara's work promoting literacy. I'm pretty proud of her. She
wants to help parents understand how important it is to read to
their kids. When parents read aloud to their young ones, they
open their children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the
self-assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
And our movement instills the habits of good health --
wholesome nutrition, sound hygiene, and protective measures like
early immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two
sides of the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Sullivan and I
took steps to ensure that no American child is at risk from
deadly diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles. We launched
3
an initiative to support childhood immunizations -- especially
immunizations for kids in the early years of life.
That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm proud
we've been able to help. Since 1988, we've more than tripled the
dollars for federal immunization efforts -- from $98 million to
$297 million for 1992.
On Friday, Dr. Sullivan, the Surgeon General and I were out
in San Diego and had the privilege of visiting Logan Heights
Family Health Center, to see firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. We spoke with parents and community leaders, and
everyone of them stressed the importance of early immunization in
preventing illness.
Logan Heights is a perfect example of what can be done if
concerned individuals set their minds to it. The center was
founded by Laura Rodriguez, who's become one of our
administration's Points of Light. Laura saw a need, and with
hard work and dedication, she did something about it. Logan
Heights now serves 75,000 patients a year. Thank God for people
like Laura. She's an example for all of us.
And for those kids who need a head start in preparing for
school, we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years
we have almost doubled funding for Head Start programs, and this
year I have proposed the largest single increase in Head Start's
history -- $600 million. This year's increase will ensure that
157,000 more kids will be able to start school ready to learn.
4
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works --
because people care. And we're making sure it continues to
work. If it's good for America's kids, it's good for America.
These are important steps. But there's more we must do. We
must address the larger issues of American health care. Last
week, I proposed a four-point plan to do just that. Every
American family must have access to affordable, high-quality
care.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, more than eight million children
go without health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have
placed coverage beyond the reach of their parents. And even
parents who are covered worry about losing their family's
insurance if they move on to a different job or, worse still,
lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty.
No American family should. My proposal will put an end to it.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
5
you'll get, and when you'll get it. In America, that's simply
unacceptable.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain a maximum freedom of
choice and the highest quality care. At the same time, we must
make sure our children have access to health care their parents
can afford, sick or healthy, rich or poor.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low income families to help them buy
health insurance; for middle income families, I've proposed a tax
deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. The math is simple: the larger the group being
covered, the lower the cost per individual. We've proposed
Health Insurance Networks that bring companies together to cut
administrative costs and make insurance affordable for working
parents.
Third, we must cut waste and abuse. We can start with
medical malpractice lawsuits that drive up the cost of care for
everyone. A doctor pestered with frivolous litigation ends up
passing his legal costs along to you, the patient. When you go
to the doctor, I don't want you to have to pay a lawyer, too.
Finally, we must slow the spiraling costs of federal health
programs. These costs are rising far beyond the rate of
6
inflation --- which only endangers important benefits while making
less money available for other pressing needs.
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure maximum freedom of choice, and
give every family -- rich or poor, sick or healthy -- access to
health care. I know how important this is, particularly for
parents who have children with special needs. My plan will
assure that you can change jobs without endangering the health
insurance your child depends on. We're building on our system's
strengths. And we're avoiding the pitfalls of nationalized care,
the kind that people from all over the world come to America to
escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that overtake
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next few days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 10, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
DD
TONY SNOW
FROM:
ANDY FERGUSON at
SUBJECT:
SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
This afternoon, at 2 p.m., you will address 700 attendees at
the Surgeon General's Conference. Your remarks (15 minutes,
teleprompter) focus on the Surgeon General's "Healthy Children
Ready to Learn" initiative as crucial in working toward the first
education goal: By the year 2000, all children will start school
ready to learn.
2
Patricia has two children -- both of them with special
health needs. She perfectly expressed the spirit of our movement
when she said, "I used to be shy, but I had to learn to stand up
for my kids. " That's why we're here: to stand up for the kids.
And we won't let them down.
Our movement draws its strength from Patricia and the
millions of parents like her. The title of this conference says
it all: "Healthy Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of
Parents." Parents are a child's "first teachers," offering the
love and spiritual nourishment that no government program can
ever hope to provide.
If I can brag for just a moment here -- you may know of
Barbara's work promoting literacy. I'm pretty proud of her. She
wants to help parents understand how important it is to read to
their kids. When parents read aloud to their young ones, they
open their children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the
self-assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
And our movement instills the habits of good health --
wholesome nutrition, sound hygiene, and protective measures like
early immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two
sides of the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Sullivan and I
took steps to ensure that no American child is at risk from
deadly diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles. We launched
3
an initiative to support childhood immunizations -- especially
immunizations for kids in the early years of life.
That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm proud
we've been able to help. Since 1988, we've more than tripled the
dollars for federal immunization efforts -- from $98 million to
$297 million for 1992.
On Friday, Dr. Sullivan, the Surgeon General and I were out
in San Diego and had the privilege of visiting Logan Heights
Family Health Center, to see firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. We spoke with parents and community leaders, and
everyone of them stressed the importance of early immunization in
preventing illness.
Logan Heights is a perfect example of what can be done if
concerned individuals set their minds to it. The center was
founded by Laura Rodriguez, who's become one of our
administration's Points of Light. Laura saw a need, and with
hard work and dedication, she did something about it. Logan
Heights now serves 75,000 patients a year. Thank God for people
like Laura. She's an example for all of us.
And for those kids who need a head start in preparing for
school, we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years
we have almost doubled funding for Head Start programs, and this
year I have proposed the largest single increase in Head Start's
history -- $600 million. This year's increase will ensure that
157,000 more kids will be able to start school ready to learn.
4
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works --
because people care. And we're making sure it continues to
work. If it's good for America's kids, it's good for America.
These are important steps. But there's more we must do. We
must address the larger issues of American health care. Last
week, I proposed a four-point plan to do just that. Every
American family must have access to affordable, high-quality
care.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, more than eight million children
go without health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have
placed coverage beyond the reach of their parents. And even
parents who are covered worry about losing their family's
insurance if they move on to a different job or, worse still,
lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty.
No American family should. My proposal will put an end to it.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
5
you'll get, and when you'll get it. In America, that's simply
unacceptable.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain a maximum freedom of
choice and the highest quality care. At the same time, we must
make sure our children have access to health care their parents
can afford, sick or healthy, rich or poor.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low income families to help them buy
health insurance; for middle income families, I've proposed a tax
deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. The math is simple: the larger the group being
covered, the lower the cost per individual. We've proposed
Health Insurance Networks that bring companies together to cut
administrative costs and make insurance affordable for working
parents.
Third, we must cut waste and abuse. We can start with
medical malpractice lawsuits that drive up the cost of care for
everyone. A doctor pestered with frivolous litigation ends up
passing his legal costs along to you, the patient. When you go
to the doctor, I don't want you to have to pay a lawyer, too.
Finally, we must slow the spiraling costs of federal health
programs. These costs are rising far beyond the rate of
6
inflation -- which only endangers important benefits while making
less money available for other pressing needs.
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure maximum freedom of choice, and
give every family -- rich or poor, sick or healthy -- access to
health care. I know how important this is, particularly for
parents who have children with special needs. My plan will
assure that you can change jobs without endangering the health
insurance your child depends on. We're building on our system's
strengths. And we're avoiding the pitfalls of nationalized care,
the kind that people from all over the world come to America to
escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that overtake
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next few days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 7, 1992
SPEECH TO SURGEON GENERAL'S CONF.
This is a good speech, but I think it
needs an economic growth hook to make
news. Perhaps the President could
explain how his economic growth package
would give greater security to families
-- and then give 5 concrete examples of
what he has challenged Congress to do.
The theme should be health care and
disease prevention as part of the
President's longterm economic growth
plan.
On the health side, the speech could
benefit from a list of all the money the
Administration has devoted to
immunization, pre-natal care, drug
treatment for pregnant women, etc. We
should take credit for all these
accomplishments.
18 : pd L NAN 26
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 2- 7-92 ; 1:24PM ;
The White House->
202 456 1605:# 1
Document No. 30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE.
2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE-COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FRI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
GRAY
FINDLAY
SNOW
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See comments and attachment.
PK
Paul 02/07/92 KorEonta
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
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(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
(ECA)
leading
is
this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
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202 456 1605;# 3
mentement Families instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
(HHS)
2
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
(HHS)
Secretary Sullivan
On Friday, the Supply ren-General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school, (HHS)
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
almost
and this year I have
doubled funding for Head Start programs
with
just
we will be able to insurethat
proposed
these increases
every eligible four-year-old can enter the largest
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
singleins
in
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
history
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom
$1606
millia
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
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3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it
The wic program is a highly successful preventive program,
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
Insert
B
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
(HKS)
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
8.5
ages.0-17,
here in this room. Right now, million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
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4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
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5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
(HHS)
adminis trat is is for
unacceptable. Our
strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
A
The Dept. of Agriculture operates several child
nutrition lunches programs, including serving 29 million
school and breakfasts per day in 1992 to American
minds children. to learn. Nutrition is critical for young
B
providing needed to nutrition to women, infants
and children at nutritional risk. I proposed
budget a 35 % incoease over 1989, which
$ 2.8 billion for WIC in my FY'93
will allow the program to serve 5.4 million
clients.
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6218;# 1
Document No. 30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE.
2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCECOMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION
FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
GRAY
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
x6218
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
To
PHILLIP D. BRADY
02/07/92
05:43
202 475 5047
USDA OPA
+++ WHITE HOUSE/OCA
5.
001/008
92 U.S. JAN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
NUMBER OF PAGES 8
(including cover sheet)
TO:
456-6630
Paul
OFFICE PHONE NUMBER
Korfanta 456-2223-1605
FAX NUMBER
FROM:
202-720-6307
SANDIE STASIAK
OFFICE PHONE NUMBER
CAMERON D. BRUEMMER
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
202-690-1647
FAX NUMBER
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS FAX, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE
TO CALL OUR OFFICE. THANK YOU.
02/07/92
05:43
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USDA OPA
WHITE HOUSE/OCA
002/008
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
OF AERICTATURE
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20250-1300
February 7, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR PAUL KORFANTA
FROM:
Cameron Bruemmer Camera Briammer
Deputy Director, Office of Public affairs
SUBJECT:
President's Remarks at Surgeon General's Conference
Bill O'Conner and the other members of USDA's senior staff are out of the office today
at a retreat. I have reviewed the President's Remarks for Monday and would like to
suggest that you include some reference to the Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Program and the National School Lunch Program.
Both are programs for which the President can take credit.
To assist you with some suggest language, I am forwarding Secretary Madigan's draft
speech to the same group on Tuesday. I have indicated those paragraphs which I believe
would be the most important.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please call me at 720-6307.
Thank you.
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
PRINTED ON RECLAIMED MATERIALS
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HEALTHY CHILDREN READY TO LEARN:
THE CRITICAL ROLE OF PARENTS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
FEBRUARY 11, 1992
Draft Remarks by Secretary Edward Madigan, USDA
Thank you Surgeon General Novello and good morning everyone.
ERM story
of course, back then we didn't know as much about nutrition as we do now, and
that kind of information wasn't as available as it is today, either. I thought for a moment, as
I was headed over here this morning, that in some ways it is more than a little remarkable
that we even hold this conference, given the extraordinary amount of informational and
variety of foods available today.
But this is important -- it is vital. Because nutrition is basic. All things can be
possible for a child who is well-fed -- very little is possible for a child, or a pregnant
mother, or anyone for that matter, who doesn't get the nutritious foods we all need to grow,
to function, to learn and to excel. And it's our job to get that information to you and before
the public, and into everyday practice.
There are 64 million children in the United States today, and all of them share this
need, every one of them. There is no more fundamental and important necessity for
America's children, or for America. And that's why we're here this morning.
The PRESIDENT recognized the importance of a strong nutrition foundation in his
education initiative. The first of his six national education goals is that "By the year 2000,
all children in America will start school ready to learn."
To achieve this, we have to ensure that they receive the nutrition they need for
healthy minds and bodies. That responsibility begins before children are born. Working
with mothers, we must ensure that the number of low-birth weight babies is significantly
reduced through good pre-natal care.
And although we are investing large amounts of money and effort to help, it's the
parents of children in these programs which provide nutrition and health care who have the
primary role to play in their care and feeding.
One of our best programs for reaching both children and the parents of children at
risk is the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children or "WIC." This
program provides supplemental food and nutrition education to low-income pregnant,
postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and young children -- all at nutritional risk.
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WIC serves one in three babies born every year. That's about 5.3 million participants
this month alone. And our highest priority is low-income pregnant women and their infants.
What's more, WIC has become a gateway to other government services, especially
health care. Through WIC, pregnant women are learning about and obtaining health services
they need. And local WIC agencies refer applicants to Medicaid if it's likely they're
eligible.
WIC is an adjunct to health care that participants receive at local health clinics. For
example, WIC personnel promote breastfeeding among program participants; they coordinate
with state and federal immunization programs. and they provide alcohol and drug abuse
prevention education and referrals.
WIC is cost-effective. A major study done in 1987-88 in five states showed that
Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who participate in WIC do indeed have healthier babies
than low-income women who do not participate. Every dollar spent on prenatal WIC care
was associated with a Medicaid savings of between $1.92 and $4.75 for newborns and their
mothers.
Last year, the PRESIDENT highlighted WIC as a major priority to ensure that
children enter school healthy and ready to learn -- he requested the largest budget increase
for WIC ever. An even larger increase -- $240 million in 1993 will enable WIC to reach
5.4 million women, infants and children each month. Virtually all low-income pregnant
women and infants who are eligible are enrolled in the program. This two year effort will
extend WIC benefits to nearly 500,000 more people.
This year, PRESIDENT BUSH is requesting a half billion dollar increase for the
Head Start Program. Here again, we at USDA work together with another federal program.
Head Start provides education services under DHHS -- USDA provides the meals and
snacks. Our counterpart program is the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which
concentrates on pre-school children, ages three to five, in non-residential child care centers
and family day care homes. Today, the program is operating nationwide, both in 170,000
child care centers and day care homes, serving meals to 1.7 million participants daily. It's
been a fast growing program, and many of your pre-schoolers participate.
Next year, we propose to spend $1.17 billion on the Child and Adult Care Food
Program. We expect to serve 100 million additional meals in 1993, due in part to the
continued expansion of Head Start programs.
Of course, the program your children probably participate in when they enter
kindergarten or first grade is the National School Lunch Program. Through this program,
schools serve almost 25 million nutritious lunches each school day in virtually all the public
schools and in most of the private schools. Half of those are free or at a reduced price. Our
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efforts to change this program are aimed at focusing our limited resources to those who need
them the most, without sacrificing the program benefits to all of our nation's children.
Once again this year, the BUSH Administration is proposing a restructuring of the
reimbursement for the School Lunch Program. Our proposal would reduce the cost for
"reduced price" lunches by a quarter, so that a student in that category could get a nutritious
meal for no more than 15 cents. For "reduced price" school breakfasts, the cost would be
reduced to a dime. More well off children would find their per meal costs increasing by 6
cents, a small price to bear for such an extended benefit to those truly in need. This
proposal would enable us to reach 250,000 more children who are currently eligible to
purchase meals at a reduced price but are not participating.
This year, we've made it much simpler for schools to establish a child's eligibility for
free school lunches and breakfasts. We've started a direct certification system under which
schools now communicate directly with local welfare offices. If a child comes from a family
receiving food stamps or benefits under the Aid to Families With Dependent Children
Program (AFDC), the child may receive free school lunches and breakfasts. Parents are not
required to submit an application.
As a result, schools report that they're serving more free lunches to eligible children
than ever before. We don't yet know how many more are benefiting, but indications are the
number is substantial.
I said, "nutritious lunches." They will be. Ask a dozen different youngsters what
they'd like to have for lunch today and you might get a dozen different answers -- and not all
would be nutritious.
As many of you may already know, I am working to see that schools and day care
facilities begin to comply with the 1990 federal Dietary Guidelines for All Americans.
Among other recommendations, these guidelines suggest that children and adults eat a diet in
which 30 percent or less of the calories come from fat. We're working to achieve that goal
in the school lunch and breakfast programs, and we're making progress.
To assist in this effort, we're conducting demonstrations in California, Colorado,
Louisiana, Ohio and Tennessee to test how schools can modify their menus to reduce fat,
salt, and sugar and still keep students eating school lunches. We are testing or have tested
four different types of low-fat hamburgers in six states last year, and the comments coming
back from the schools were very favorable.
In a few months, we will issue a publication and instructional videos to give cafeteria
workers additional information they need to offer meals that meet the dietary guidelines.
The new dietary guidance will be provided to more than 275,000 child nutrition program
operators -- some of you are here today -- in more than 90,000 schools districts across the
country.
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I have promised to provide schools with the tools they need to comply with the
dietary guidelines by 1994. Our goal is to have at least 90 percent of all lunch and breakfast
menus in line with the Dietary Guidelines by the year 2000. I'd like to do a little better than
that, and sooner.
Some of you are parents of children who will be participating in the school lunch
program -- you need to be involved with your school and its lunch program. Just as Head
Start owes much of its success to parent involvement, the same holds true for school lunch.
Our most successful school lunch programs are those where parents and communities are
involved.
Besides school lunch, the School Breakfast Program serves almost five million
children daily. And about 80 percent of school breakfasts are served free.
In the past few years, we have provided funds to states for the purpose of expanding
the School Breakfast Program. And in 1991, we served 8.3 percent more breakfasts than the
year before. We're continuing this effort to make school breakfast available to more needy
children.
The largest of our food assistance programs is Food Stamps. Eighty percent of those
benefits go to families with children and about half of all food stamp participants are
children. More than 12 million children receive food stamps each month. Beyond that,
three out of four households with children also receive benefits from at least one other food
assistance program. In 1993, USDA expects to spend almost $23 billion on the Food Stamp
Program alone. Food stamps are available for every needy person who meets the
qualifications and enrolls in the program.
As with the WIC and child nutrition programs, we are working to get greater
coordination between the Food Stamp Program and other assistance programs, such as Aid to
Families with Dependent Children -- AFDC. One goal is to bring greater conformity to the
eligibility rules between food stamps and AFDC. This will greatly simplify the program for
caseworkers and clients.
Today, states use a single application form for food stamps and AFDC. A single
interview determines eligibility for food stamps and AFDC. And they have a single system
for eligibility records. We are encouraging states to establish or expand this kind of one-stop
shopping. At these sites, states collocate health, welfare, job training, and nutrition
assistance programs. We give clients better access to programs. We also enable eligibility
workers to better serve the needs of clients by being case-oriented rather than focusing only
on a family's eligibility for one program.
There are, of course other food assistance programs. During the summer months,
USDA provides meals for children in low-income neighborhoods. In 1993, this program will
provide about 100 million meals.
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We also distribute food packages and commodities. Food packages are distributed on
Indian reservations and to the homeless. We also have programs which distribute bulk
commodities to orphanages, hospitals, soup kitchens, food banks, and meals on wheels.
We operate a milk program in those few schools that aren't in the school lunch
program. And we have a Commodity Supplemental Food Program which provides food
packages to a population similar to the one served by WIC. This program also serves some
senior citizens. In 1993, will have a monthly caseload of 250,000 women, infants, and
children, and 134,000 senior Americans.
The food assistance programs do a very good job of providing needy people with
food. But they need to do more than that. We must make use of these programs to teach
people about the critical relationship between diet and health. We need to do more than
provide good food. We need to provide food that is good for them in the right mix. And
we need to help them understand the difference.
Former Surgeon General Koop identified dietary factors as playing a prominent role
in five of the ten leading causes of death for Americans. These five are coronary heart
disease, some forms of cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. The 1988
Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health says that these disorders account for more
than two-thirds of all deaths in the United States, and that diet can play an important role in
disease prevention.
So nutrition education and our diet are not just something for the other fellow -- they
affects all of us. As parents, we must guide the nutrition habits of our children, because
these habits are formed early in life. The more we can do to emphasize healthy diets, the
healthier our children will be.
We hope that you will be actively involved in nutrition programs. We are putting
funds and effort into the education end of the major food assistance programs.
The Nutrition Education and Training Program, known as NET, supports nutrition
education for school food service personnel, teachers and students. NET has done a good
job in the nation's schools. But some areas deserve more attention -- such as educating
preschoolers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The PRESIDENT's 1993 budget
requests a 50 percent increase in NET funds next year. These new funds will be used to
expand nutrition education and training to child care providers who serve very young
children. We will develop preschool curricula as well as materials that show care providers
how to serve safe and nutritious meals and snacks.
I want to mention the USDA-sponsored National Food Service Management Institute.
The Institute began operations at the University of Mississippi in 1990. It helps school lunch
operators improve both the quality of meals and the operation of child nutrition programs.
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We expect the Institute to be a valuable source of consistent training and research-based
information.
From the beginning, WIC has made nutrition education an integral part of the
program. In 1993, we will spend $115 million on nutrition education to help Moms and
Dads learn about the right foods to serve their children.
To further improve the nutritional status of the neediest WIC participants, we have
requested $12.5 million for our Extension Service to provide intensive nutrition training for
the most needy. We will use these funds to serve 50,000 new WIC participants, in addition
to the 91,000 now served through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.
The PRESIDENT's budget also proposes $4.5 million in State grants to develop and
distribute training and nutrition education materials for hard-to-reach adults. The objective
here is a nutrition message sensitive to income, educational levels and cultural preferences.
The breadth of our food assistance efforts is very broad, affecting many people. In
total, this month, we'll reach over 50 million Americans -- one in six this month.
We want pregnant women, preschoolers, students, and their families get the most
from them. This may take the form of a health referral for a WIC mother, or of giving a
day care provider the training needed to serve safe, nutritious food. Or it may mean finding
ways to expand one-stop shopping so parents can apply for services with less hassle.
This effort hinges not on us but on you, out beyond the Beltway. And it begins with
informed, engaged parents who are taking an active role in the programs that affect their
children. I urge you to work locally to see that these programs succeed.
Everyone who can and should be enrolled in these programs needs to be enrolled.
They are among the most successful and helpful in government. In many cases, it takes you
to make them work. Keep at it. There are 64 million children depending on you and on
me. We can make a difference in their future. It's our future as well. The stakes are too
high for us not to succeed.
I thank you and God bless you.
6
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6218:# 1
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Office of Management and Budget
THE
FACSIMILE TRANSMITTAL SHEET
Number of Pages including cover 4
Date:
2/7/92
To:
Naney
Fax Number:
Office Number:
Comments:
This is all we
have so far
From: Sandy.
Fax Number: (202) 395
Office Number: (202) 395-
IS : Pd L NAV 26
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 2- 7-92 ; 4:45PM ;
2023953174-
6218;# 2:
Document No.
30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
SUBJECT:
ACTION FTI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
MOORE
CARD
KAUFMAN
DEMAREST
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
GRAY
FINDLAY
SNOW
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
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6218;# 3
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
actiess
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Scully/5178
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents. Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
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2023953174-
6218;# 4
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
support for childhous immunizations
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
that NO child should be athisk to deadly diseases like polio, diptheria,
and I announced/our administration's initiative to bring
T
measles
immunization to every American child -- especially early
unduscred
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
Scully
5178
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. with the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old1can enter m Head
who choses to participa
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
start
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
75178 South,
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head start works
Document No. 30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
92 JAN 7 P4:- 08
DATE.
2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE-COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
GRAY
FINDLAY
SNOW
HOLIDAY
REMARKS: These are just slaff comments- - Porter has not
Signed off. on them; Call them if there are any
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930, questions
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
John:
In addition to Hanns's comments, we believe it would be
valuable to mention:
1. The conference stems from the Education Summit and
builds on the Federal-state partnership.
2.
The conference illustrates that Federal departments
under the Bush Administration are working together
("good government") to better serve states,
localities, individuals.
3.
The participants can build on the conference when the
return to their communities.
Comments on page 1 of attached copy and possible inserts
attached.
Rae È Doea
Possible insert: (page 1, para.2)
I am proud that my Administration is helping lead this movement
and that we have three Departments working together and ready
to work with you. (I know Secretaries Sullivan, Alexander, and
Madigan will be here over the next few days to speak with you
further). In the Bush Administration, good government means
collaboration across department lines to better serve states,
communities, and citizens.
Possible insert: (page 5, para. 2)
Achieving our first critical education goal cannot be done by
any one group alone. But together, you can move mountains
Over the next three days you will share, listen, and learn.
[And that means members of my Administration who are here to
learn from you.] This conference is an important beginning.
I hope you will take what you learn back to your communities
-- continue the dialogue, share what is working and explore
new ideas.
You have enormous power. You are leaders and can and will make
the difference -- community-by-community, child-by-child.
Document No. 30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE-COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
GRAY
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
WITH WHEN 1 INVITED THE NATION'S GOVERNORS TO
TO DEVELOP SUMMIT OVER TWO YEARS AGO, UNPRECEDENTED WE
EDUCATION ME AND MY CABINET AT AN MEET
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
GOALS FOR THE YEAR 2000. OUR FIRST AGREED CRITICAL GOAL is Draft SURGEONS
Two
C2 FEB 7 All 54
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. ) You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
BY THE END
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America,
OF
THE
DECADE
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration POSSIBLE
LEADING
INSERT
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
there is vonte more
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
don't have
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
could
to have a
be
want
a $3,750 tax credit for low to middle income families to
simplified to
deduction
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
The math is simple:
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
Therefore we propose pup
not govt creating then
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
will to allow
to come
Networks that bring companies^together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
cut waste and abuse. we can start with
Third, we must/rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
777
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
infederal health program, growth
uncontrolled growth *that only serves to endanger those benefits.
and malses fever
Misomes available for osher
programs
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
And I know how important for parents who
sick or healthy -- access to health care. ^ My plan builds on our children
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized have
Special
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
health
America to escape.
needs.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy My plan will
assure that
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
you can
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt change
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
jobs
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
without
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families. endaugering
OWIBLE LASERT BLE
the
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
health
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
insurance
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is your
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
child
firsthand.
depends
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
?
America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 306335ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE-COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
FITZWATER
MCBRIDE
GRAY
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
and volumteers,
of parents and doctors and teachers A of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
No
surving community
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
unless it
Fosters
Families,
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
for
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
and care youth
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
developing
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
Dur presentsk and the of
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
vital and
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
families tes in
providing children- its
care angreatest that is strength.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
ind as volunteers
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
It doesn't try to build a new
System on a the weahnesses
of other 5 systems.
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:14 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 2
Document No. 30633555
92 JAN 1 P4:26
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p. m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
FITZWATER
MCBRIDE
GRAY
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
No News Here
4.
C/DANCASS
N
EXPAND to include Family Values Role in
re ideas further
The Health of the child
3
Pg 2 Mention TOTAL # Value
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
of POTUS Headstart Budget
and Staff Secretary
(Should be AN Advactive #
H
Ext. 2702
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:15 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 3
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:15 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 4
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
total
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs: With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:16 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 5
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:16 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 6
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
SENT BY:The TICKET CENTER
; 2- 7-92 ; 16:17 ; LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS-
6218;# 7.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
Document No. 30633555
92 JAN 7 P4: 35
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
1
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
>
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
FITZWATER
MCBRIDE
GRAY
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Oh - a few suggestions. Do we want to
mention the new infant Mov tality rates ?
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Bo for SR
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement destined to transform America.
One of our national education goals states that
Here what we 11 do. by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn. we must make this happen.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that comes from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
And as a + grandpared, I
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 30633555
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
92 JAAN 77 PIP: 56
DATE. 2/7/92
ACTION/CONCURRENCE-COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY, 2/7/92 4:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992 - 2:00p.m.
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
CALIO
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER Even
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
MOORE
DEMAREST
KAUFMAN
FITZWATER
MCBRIDE 2861
GRAY forct 2898 Renguist
FINDLAY
HOLIDAY
SNOW
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 p.m., TODAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, with a copy to
this office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Comments Rg 1 Mann Sheel fn DS
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
2 FEB 7 All: 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
be evs of
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we 11 do: by the year 2000, every American child will
were doing
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
together
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers " offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health --- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
Thank you Dr. Sullivan; Dr. Antonia Novello
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
Hanns historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
start this
of parents and and teachers, of public programs and
all united in the same purpose to ensurethat:
private enterprise
form America.
Wade Horn
Head start
Here s what we 11 by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and I am proud that our administration
is part of this nevenent. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement dreatic its strongth from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children
Critical
Parents."
Parents
are a child's offering love and spiritual
nourishment that government program ever hope to provide.
When parents to their young ones, they open their
children to has or lorger world: they teach the self-
assurance
learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hyging, and protective measures like early
immunization.
health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
increase awareness of
and I announced our admiristration's initiative to bring the importance ofeany
childhoo d unizatil
immunization
early
early
immunizatio
sof life.
On Priday, General and I were out in San Diego
and had the priviloge of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the of sorly immunization in preventing
illness.
goal. I'm
proud we'ver's
And for in propering for school,
Wade Horn, Horn,
Head Start
we've made get it. In the last three years we have
almost
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases
four-year-old can enter
school ready
ve had some
of the adve
Head
the classroom -
- into the
Head Shart because parents
take the load. you not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnu
Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for family that wants it.
But we have much more work to do.
These
to ensure
Hanns Clinton
that our chil
we
must address
re:
line
the larger
Over
the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our system. We must see to it
that every affordable, high-quality
care. Last
in
do just
that.
I
health care
system has crinis probably touched many of you
here in
this
8.5 go without
health
placed coverage
beyond the
who are
covered work
if they move
on to a
they have.
You shoul of uncertainty. No
American
Yet
problems, our
system still
ld. That's
why people
better care.
Most often
systems in which
the governue get, what kind
you'll
will
be.
In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doeselt. must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for
you,
First, affordable and accessible, I
want a $3, 750 this
:-
Chris
low-te-riddl
families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to ant costs, "e will make health care more
efficient. that larger the group being covered,
the lower to
with Insurance
Networks
ins Inistrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, ve must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous
along to
you, the mill
by visits
their doctor,
: :
Ao.
it, too.
Finally, MC must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrollod 1*** serves to endanger those benefits.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family --- rich or poor,
sick or healthy health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengthe.
it avoids the pitfells of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All those approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children :- There must build on a basic truth: In this
country, f...
"hat preempt
the right?
t. deny them
freedom of choice CV 5.m up in red time, 13 simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore now ideas, and then return
to your or
ammitment is
an inspirt
me it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
(Ferguson/Aarhus)
February 7, 1992
Draft Two
02 FEB 7 All : 54
SURGEONS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SURGEON GENERAL'S CONFERENCE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1992
RAMADA RENAISSANCE HOTEL
2:00 P.M.
[Acknowledgments, humor]
It's such a pleasure to be here today, to help launch this
historic conference. You have gathered to lead a great movement
of parents and doctors and teachers, of public programs and
private enterprise -- a movement, destined to transform America.
Here's what we'll do: by the year 2000, every American child will
start school healthy and ready to learn.
Our success will ensure America's leadership in the global
marketplace; it will guarantee the health and safety of our
families and neighborhoods. I am proud that our administration
is part of this movement. I know that with your dedication and
ability, we will not fail to acheive our goal.
Our movement draws its strength from the grassroots, from
families. The title of this conference says it all: "Healthy
Children Ready to Learn: The Critical Role of Parents." Parents
are a child's "first teachers," offering the love and spiritual
nourishment that no government program can ever hope to provide.
When parents read aloud to their young ones, they open their
children to the joy of a larger world; they teach the self-
assurance and curiosity that come from learning.
2
Our movement instills the habits of good health -- wholesome
nutrition, sound hygeine, and protective measures like early
immunization. Parents know: learning and health are two sides of
the same coin.
Again, parents, families, communities are the key -- but
government can help. Last June, for instance, Dr. Louis Sullivan
and I announced our administration's initiative to bring
immunization to every American child -- especially early
immunization for kids in the first and second year of life.
On Friday, the Surgeon General and I were out in San Diego
and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the benefits of this
initiative. The parents and community leaders I spoke with
stressed the importance of early immunization in preventing
illness. That's a crucial step toward meeting our goal. I'm
proud we've been able to help.
And for kids who need a head start in preparing for school,
we've made sure they'll get it. In the last three years we have
more than doubled funding for Head Start programs. With the
increases I've proposed, every eligible four-year-old can enter
school ready to learn, right alongside children who've had some
of the advantages Head Start kids haven't enjoyed.
Head Start brings children and parents into the classroom -
- into the learning process. Head Start works because parents
take the lead. You may not know this, but volunteers in Head
Start outnumber paid staff by eight-to-one. Head Start works
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
I don't need to tell you that the American health care
system has problems. The crisis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
American family should.
Yet it's important to remember: For all its problems, our
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all over the globe come here seeking better care.
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be. In
4
our system, parents can still choose their children's doctor. My
plan preserves that freedom of choice for parents.
Our great challenge is to keep what works in our system and
reform what doesn't. We must maintain our freedom of choice and
the high-quality of our care. At the same time, we must make
sure our children have access to health care their parents can
afford.
That's what my four-point plan does. Let me briefly spell
it out for you.
First, to make health care more affordable and accessible, I
want a $3,750 tax credit for low-to-middle income families to
help them buy health insurance; for middle income families, I've
proposed a tax deduction for the same amount.
Second, to cut costs, we will make health care more
efficient. Studies show that the larger the group being covered,
the lower the cost per family. We will create Health Insurance
Networks that bring companies together to cut administrative
costs and make insurance affordable for working parents.
Third, we must rein in medical malpractice lawsuits that
drive up the cost of care for everyone. A doctor pestered with
frivolous litigation ends up passing his legal costs along to
you, the patient. When a family that's just getting by visits
their doctor, they shouldn't have to pay his lawyer, too.
Finally, we must protect the benefits of federal health
programs. And the surest way to do that is to slow the
uncontrolled growth that only serves to endanger those benefits.
5
There it is: a common-sense reform that will maintain high-
quality care, cut costs, ensure the right of parents to choose
their family's doctor, and give every family -- rich or poor,
sick or healthy -- access to health care. My plan builds on our
system's strengths. And it avoids the pitfalls of nationalized
care, the kind that people from all over the world come to
America to escape.
All these approaches for meeting our goal of healthy
children ready to learn must build on a basic truth: In this
country, families come first. Government programs that preempt
the rightful role of families and communities, that deny them
freedom of choice or bind them up in red tape, are simply
unacceptable. Our movement is about strengthening families.
Over the next three days you will continue a great national
dialogue, share information, explore new ideas, and then return
to your communities to lead this good fight. Your commitment is
an inspiration, and I thank you for inviting me to see it
firsthand.
God bless you all and God bless the United States of
America.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
92 JAN 7 P5:20
WASHINGTON
February 7, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
Deputy Assistant to the President for
Communications and Director of Speechwriting
FROM:
JANET REHNQUIST pe
Associate Counsel to the President
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks -- Surgeon General's
Conference
At your request, Counsel's Office has reviewed the above-
referenced matter. We have no legal objections.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this matter.
CC: Phil Brady
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 2- 7-92 ; 6:22PM ; West Wing (1st Flr)
6218:# 2
3
because people care. And we've made sure it will continue to
work, for every eligible family that wants it.
These are important steps. But if we truly want to ensure
that our children are healthy and ready to learn, we must address
the larger issues of American health care. Over the last several
days, I've traveled around the country to talk about the need for
reforming our nation's health care system. We must see to it
that every American family has access to affordable, high-quality
care. Last week, I proposed a four point program to do just
that.
Then
program
# don't need to tell you that the American health care
Those nave
elgins
system that has problems. The **isis has probably touched many of you
here in this room. Right now, XX million children go without
health insurance, because skyrocketing costs have placed coverage
we the
beyond the reach of their parents. And even parents who are
that care
best
Malth
covered worry about losing their family's insurance if they move
on to a different job or, worse still, lose the job they have.
carsken
You shouldn't have to live with this kind of uncertainty. No
in
world.
American family should.
But
Yes It's important to remember: For all its problems, our
went day
system still provides the best health care in the world. That's
why people from all ever the globe come here seeking better care.
that
Most often they're trying to escape health care systems in which
the government dictates how much care you'll get, what kind
you'll get, when you'll get it and who your doctor will be.
In
some of my opponents in Courge. is
Shoce overlable incime am
Extended Page 2.1
think xnose proceems require
entire system - they look to Europe June 1 or
elsewhere where