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American Octoberfest - Painesville, Ohio 9/5/92 [OA 5812] [2]
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American Octoberfest - Painesville, Ohio 9/5/92 [OA 5812] [2]
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American Oktoberfest-Painsville, Ohio 9/5/92 10A 5812] [2]
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26
18
4
4
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING REQUEST
Subject
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
HEALTH CARE
PLAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Date/Time Received:
RESPONSE DUE:
9/2/92 5:35 P.M.
11:00 A.M.
Response due to Director's Office Support Group, Room 254, Ext. 3060.
Please respond to every staffing request, even if you have no comment.
Distribution Within OMB
Action
FYI
Action
FYI
Director
X
X
Howard, R.
-
Deputy Director
X
Legis. Affairs
Dep. Dir./Mgmt.
MacRae, J.
X
Martin, B.
Al-Samarrie, A.
Mazur, E.
X
Anderson, B.
Murr, J.
X
Burman, A.
Rockefeller, N. X
Dale, E.
X
Scully, T.
X
Damus, R.
(Other)
Gen. Mgmt. Div.
X
Grady, R.
Hale, J.
Comments:
348225SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/2/92
NOON, THURS., SEPT. 3
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SUBJECT:
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MOORE
BAKER
MULLINS
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
PROVOST
BROMLEY
ROSS
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
TUTWILER
FITZWATER
ZOELLICK
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
BATES
BOSKIN
HORNER
MCBRIDE
MCGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to
Dan McGroarty, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this
office NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
McGroarty/Walters
September 2, 1992
4:00 p.m.
02 SEP 2 P4: 08
[health]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
[Acknowledgements.] And of course, hats off to our hosts -
- Steve and Gretel Bencic. //
I bring greetings today from your Governor and my good
friend, George Voinovich. This is the first time he's missed out
on Steve and Gretel's cooking since 1966 -- but he's got good
reason today. Governor Voinovich is on a trade mission to South
Korea -- opening new markets for Ohio goods, and creating new
jobs for Ohio workers. //
[[You've all seen Gretel's cake, but you may not know the
story behind it. I don't want to give away her age, but years
-
ago, when Gretel was 2 years old, the war in Europe separated her
from her family. The Red Cross came to Gretel's rescue -- so
today she's returning the favor, to help the people of South
Florida and Louisiana in their moment of need. That's the best
in the American spirit: plenty of heart, always generous, always
ready to help neighbors in need. //]]
Too
I wish every attacted person in South Florida could get mest
And after x-thousand Meals Ready to Eat, we may just airlift
cute
may piss
Gretel's cakes -- I'm sure it would make -Meals Ready To
Gretel's cake to Miami to take care of dessert
off
EAT dlot more agreedsle".
chinners
[ [And I want to salute today the contingents of Ohio's
finest -- Ohio National Guard units XXXX and xxx, on route now to
southern Florida. ]]
2
It's great to be here in Painsville to help open this year's
Oktoberfest. You've got the four basic food groups: pancakes
and syrup / bratwurst and beer. // And not one sprig of
broccoli in sight. //
This festival has always been a celebration of cultures --
but this year, in a very special way, it is a celebration of the
spirit. We've witnessed a world of change. Across Europe,
across continents, from Managua to Moscow, millions of men and
women now celebrate a new birth of freedom. For the people here
today -- people who came to America from the Old Country -- who
prayed for this day to come, the change we've witnessed -- this
change we've worked for -- is a miracle come true.
There are those -- to quote the poet -- who will say that
the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is
nothing but a dream.
And they are right. / It is the American Dream.
Today, our challenge is to bring that spirit home -- home
from the towns your parents and grandparents were born in, to
this new world we call America. To focus this great nation on
the new mission at hand. //
I know the main attraction this morning is pancakes, not
politics. So today I've set aside the standard Labor Day speech.
I want to do something a little different -- I want to take a few
minutes to speak to you about a serious matter, something you
should be thinking about as you go into that voting booth
3
November 3rd: About the way we can change America's health care
system for the better. //
Think about the challenges we face as a nation: Anyone
concerned about America's competitiveness has to see controlling
health care costs as key to a healthy economy. / Think about
the concerns we have as parents: Health care -- for ourselves,
for our kids --- has to top the list. //
Maybe you're worried about what happens to your health care
if you change jobs -- or worse still, if you lose your job.
Maybe you've got a child with a long-term illness. You're
worried that if you leave your job -- even to take a better one -
insurance
- you'll lose your health care. [[LETTER FROM CLEVELAND GIRL,
TIFFANY MCNALLY, ON FAMILY'S HEALTH PROBLEMS ]] //
The one thing this crisis is not about is quality of care.
American health care is first-rate, number one in the world.
Since 1980, average life expectancy in America is up -- infant
rates
mortality is down. Deaths from heart disease are down. Deaths
200
from stroke -- down. One big reason is the [xx] percent increase
(x4926)
in federal medical research in everything from Alzheimers to
AIDS.
And right now, the vast majority of Americans have
access to this quality care system. But the cost we pay for
health care has skyrocketed. Maybe it won't surprise anyone
who's made a trip to the pharmacy for prescription pills lately -
- but America's annual health care costs have risen from $74
billion dollars in 1970 to $800 billion dollars today. And
still, more than 30 million Americans have no insurance at all.
4
And don't kid yourselves. We all pay for high health care
costs -- more than once. High health costs are a drag on our
economy -- drive up the deficit -- and soak up money we need for
other vital public programs. //
Back in Washington, some of the political pundits say that
health care is a Democratic issue. Well, I don't believe that,
and I'll tell you why: We've got the compassion -- and the
common sense -- to change our system for the better. Health care
reform is a key part of my agenda for economic security. //
I listen to the American people. You want to know you've
got insurance you can count on -- whether you keep your job /
lose your job / or change your job. I don't hear you calling for
higher taxes to finance a government take-over of our hospitals.
You see, I think that government is too big and it spends
too much. Right now, the cost of health care eats up 13 percent
of all the goods and services we produce. The last thing I want
to do is put the government in charge 74hr of 13 percent more of the
American economy. //
And yet that's what some people want: To nationalize our
health care system. Put government in control: let government
fix
set prices, let government ration the kind of care people get --
how much, what kind, and when they'll get it. / Go the
government route, and you know what we'll get: A health care
system that combines the efficiency of the House Post Office with
and
the compassion of the KGB.
5
You know, that comparison made a few people hot under the
collar. I even got one letter from Russia telling me: "Quit
running down the KGB." //
Nationalize health care, and here's what we're in for: Long
waiting lists for surgery -- shortages of the high-tech equipment
responsible for so many of the miracles of modern medicine. One
example: Right now, the Cleveland Clinic performs 10 coronary
bypass surgeries a day. High tech, high quality surgery --
without any wait. But if you live across Lake Erie in Canada,
the wait for coronary bypass surgery is six months. Need your
tonsils out? Take a number: The waiting list in Canada is 3 and
1/2 months. //
And then there's the cost. According to some studies,
nationalized health care would mean a whopping $250 to $500
billion dollars a year in new taxes. //
But you won't hear about higher taxes from the folks pushing
that scheme. Ask them about the side-effects of their plan, and
they just say: Take two aspirin -- and call me after the
election. //
But there's another proposal out there that's every bit as
harmful to the economy. Maybe you've heard of it -- it's called
"Play or pay, and here's what it means: Each employer must
"play" -- meaning: provide insurance for employees, or they can
"pay" -- a payroll tax to finance government health coverage.
Well, Play or Pay will leave a lot of small businesses --
businesses that are the heartbeat of this American economy
6
-- with a tough choice: One, cut workers' wages to pay for
mandated health care. Two, fire some workers and use the savings
to cover the rest. Or three: raise prices, and try to pass along
the cost to the consumer. Some reliable studies say a 7 percent
payroll tax will cost this country 700,000 jobs. Higher prices,
lower wages, lost jobs: Any way you look at it -- that's the
wrong prescription for America. //
In the end, "Play or pay" is really no different from
nationalized health care. I'm tempted to call it "pay and pay. "
It invites employers to stop offering health benefits, throw the
problem in the government's lap, and dump millions of working
Americans into a public plan like Medicaid. And because the new
payroll taxes in Play or Pay can't possibly pay for the program -
- you, the American taxpayer, will have to pick up the tab. //
The fact is: We can reform health care without pushing our
economy into intensive care. // We start with these objectives:
efficient
enhanced competition
and price fixing
a health care system built on choice -- not government control.
allows
choice
in
care.
One that keeps costs down -- and opens up access. But above all,
a health care system that gives all Americans real security --
security / that if they change jobs, if they or their kids
develop serious health problems, they'll still be able to count
on the coverage they need. //
My plan meets every one of these objectives.
We can start making health care more accessible by making
health insurance more affordable. For low-income individuals and
families, I propose a health insurance credit -- up to $3,750
that will granter a
of
quality
package for
dollars a year to help people buy private health insurance, the poor
Middle-income individuals and families -- all the way up to those
making $80,000 dollars -- will get a health insurance tax credit or
that will
ease the
deduction All told, that's new help to purchase health
burden of
insurance for 70 million Americans.
malth insurance
costs.
Take a family of two parents with a child: One working
sucy
parent -- employed by a company that doesn't provide health
Party Lime
3
coverage. That family's total income is $10,000 -- low enough to
M
put them under the poverty line, but high enough to make them
use
ineligible for Medicaid. / Right now, that family falls through
is
the cracks -- can't afford any health care coverage at all.
state
Under my plan, that would change: this family would qualify for
$3750 health care credit -- payable to the health care insurer of
their choice. 111
And large state insurance pirts will ensure health That that
credit can quality
plan
pay the full coft of
All together, my plan will bring health care coverage to
almost 30 million uninsured Americans -- security to people who,
for far too long, have had to do without. //
And as we open up health care to all Americans, we can cut
runaway costs -- by making the system more efficient. The key is
something we call Health Insurance Networks -- to pool together small individuals
businesses that too often can't afford to offer health insurance
that
to their workers, or worry that one worker's illness or accident
could drive everyone's health insurance through the roof.
the lower the
Insurance costs obey the "law of large numbers:' The larger
administration
The broader the rish is spread, fund
the group being insured, the lower the cost per individual.
costin
Think of it this way: What kind of a deal can you get bargaining
As we all know,
8
7.E
dealer
car
with the grocer to buy one box of cereal? Now let's say you got
some friends
or who then wigh a work purchasing Coop
together with everyone on your street, or better yet everyone in
the dealer to negotiate Gos The price
your town, and then went back to buy cereal? You'd drive a
for The Same product)
can and must
harder bargain and get a better price. The same/thing works for
to drive efficiences in
health care.
market Forces
We're also going to cut health care costs by wringing out
waste and excess in the present system. That's why we've
targeted malpractice insurance for reform. You shouldn't have to
pay a lawyer when you go to the doctor. Right now, people are
doing just that: High malpractice premiums mean higher doctors'
bills, higher hospital costs -- costs passed along not only to
the patient, but to every American taxpayer. [[Last year alone,
medical
20
legal costs inflated our doctors bills by XX billion dollars. ]]
Some I know are skeptical -- they think the savings won't
add up. But I can tell you, when each year's health care costs
total more than what we spend on our kids' education and our
country's national defense -- combined -- even small changes can
save us billions.
94+
I won my t details this morning the way the Health Insurance
n
plan I have lawd out boll the
page
Networks I mentioned will save money by helping cut red tape and
paperwork -- the way we'll simplify and speed up claims
processing, or bring the growth in government health programs
under control. But I will say this: And If we made the changes I've
talked about, my plan would save nearly 400 billion dollars in
the next four years. //
9
So today I challenge the Congress: Start with my small
business reforms -- with the package that will mean affordable,
quality health care for millions of Americans who don't have it
now, and pass my plan. And I ask all of you here to join me --
tell the Congress it's time to act. //
You know, when you're President, you get a lot of advice --
from all over the country, from people of all ages. Here's one
example, from a boy named Cory, 11 years old, on what a President
should do when you're fighting with Congress, and you just can't
get things done. Here's the quote: "Meet at the Capitol at
midnight, and check the Constitution to see who's right. //
Kevery night
Well, if it gets things done
I'll stay 'fil mignight I could just get
...
maybe it's worth a try. / Cangress
I know there are those who say this to nation has seen its best
act an my program
day. They don't know the whole world still believes in America's
magic. They don't see the whole world thinks America is just
another way of saying ... the future.
Now that the entire world is turning our way -- toward free
government, free markets, less bureaucracy, less red tape and
more competition -- we can't turn back. America will move
forward -- mold the future into a new American century.
We can lift this country to new heights, to new hope. And
we will build the strong. secure America we want to pass on to
our kids. 11
Once again, my thanks for this warm Ohio welcome -- and may
God bless the United States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 3, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR ROGER B. PORTER
HANNS KUTTNER R
92 SEP 3
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Health Care Speech: Painsville, Ohio
There are some additional valuable points to make:
1. Cleveland tie to Congress' delay. The President launched
his health plan last February 6 in Cleveland. I am told
Painsvill is close to Cleveland. This linkage, being back in
the Cleveland area, Congress not acting, Congressional
Democrats posturing but doing nothing, should be linked
together to provide a rationale for why the President is
speaking on health care.
Language: At the top of page 3 --
We are back where we started in our campaign for
health care reform. Last February 6, seven months ago
tomorrow, I came to Cleveland to lay out my comprehensive
health reform plan. Since then we've sent five
legislative proposals to Capitol Hill. To have heard the
Congressional Democrats last year, it was only the
President's leadership that was keeping health care reform
from moving forward.
Well, now we know the truth. Its partisanship by the
Congressional Democrats that's keeping anything from
happening. I know it's hard to do things in an election
year, but let's do what we can. We've worked with
Republicans in the House to develop a plan called "Action
Now" and that's what it is -- a series of actions that we
can take right now, steps that enjoy broad consensus,
steps that are found in many of the bills proposed by
Congressional Democrats.
When the Congress returns to Washington next week,
we'll learn whether partisanship or action now to solve
problems is at the top of. the Democrats' agenda. I like
Cleveland. Always like being here. But I don't like
being reminded that the health reform plan I unveiled here
is still awaiting action on Capitol Hill.
2.
Entitlements. There have been some unfair accusations
about the President's approach to containing costs. It
might be worthwhile (unless this becomes the news) on page
8 to include the line, "But we must not -- and I repeat -
-must not cut benefits for seniors and others who depend
-2-
on Medicare."
3.
Personal tie in. Rather than the tax credit anecdote on
page 7, I would suggest a personal tie in between the
President and insurance security. The President can
relate to someone who has a problem getting insurance
because of his health status or that of a family member.
Language:
We want all working Americans to be able to buy
health insurance. I think back to the time when I had a
daughter who was very sick. It was when I was running a
small business. Because of this child, an insurer
wouldn't welcome my little company. And some would want
to cancel the insurance policy our family depended on.
And some would even say, well, we'll sell you insurance
for everyone at your company and their families except for
that sick daughter. Well, it shouldn't be that way. And
under my plan, it won't. Every employer will be able to
get health insurance for his or her employees.
Another approach would be to use the President's thyroid
problem -- "I hate to think that because of this, some
insurer would turn me down."
4. Cost. page 5. "whopping $250 to $500 billion dollars a
year in new taxes." The campaign issued a health one-
pager on August 11 that said "$87 billion in new taxes."
Somehow this discrepancy needs to be resolved.
In suggesting these additions, I realize something has to
go. Perhaps the third and fourth paragraphs on page 8. The
details of the President's plan have shown themselves time and
time again to be like lead pancakes with audiences. That's
where I would squeeze.
Also, Kevin Moley suggests that in lieu of the cereal
analogy on page 8, a comparison be made between buying at a
convenience store and buying in bulk at a Sam's Club or Price
Club or similar type retail in the Painsvill area.
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34822588
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE 96 SEP STAFFINGMEMORANDUM 3
DATE:
9/2/92
NOON THURS. , SEPT. 3
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SUBJECT:
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MOORE
BAKER
MULLINS
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
PROVOST
BROMLEY
ROSS
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
TUTWILER
FITZWATER
ZOELLICK
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
BATES
BOSKIN
HORNER
MCBRIDE
MCGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to
Dan McGroarty, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this
office NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
see HHS PC comments Paul Korlonta
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Paul Korfonta 09/03 9 pages
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
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McGroarty/Walters
September 2, 1992
4:00 p.m.
02 SEP 2 P4: 08
[health]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
[Acknowledgements.] And of course, hats off to our hosts -
- Steve and Gratel Bencic. 11
H bring greetings today from your Governor and my good
friend, George Voinovich. This is the first time he's missed out
on Steve and Gretel's cooking since 1966 -- but he's got good
reason today. Governor Voinovich is on a trade mission to South
Korea - opening new markets for Ohio goods, and creating new
jobs for Ohio workers. 11
[[You've all seen Gratel's cake, but you may not know the
story behind it. I don't want to give away her age, but - years
ago, when Gretel was 2 years old, the war in Europe separated her
from her family. The Red Cross came to Gratel's rescue -- so
today she's returning the favor, to help the people of South
Florida and Louisiana in their moment of need. That's the best
in the American spirit: plenty of heart, always generous, always
ready to help neighbors in need. //1]
And after x-thousand Meals Ready to Eat, we may just airlift
Gretel's cake to Miami to take care of dessert. 11
[[And I want to salute today the contingents of Ohio's
finest -- Ohio National Guard units XXXX and xxx, on route now to
southern Flerida. 11
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EUP
It's great to be here in Painsville to help open this year's
Oktoberfest. You've got the four basic food groups: pancakes
and syrup / bratwurst and beer. 11 And not one sprig of
broccoli in sight. 11
This festival has always been a celebration of cultures --
but this year, in a very special way, it is a celebration of the
spirit. We've witnessed & world of change. Across Europe,
across continents, from Managua to Moscow, millions of men and
women now celebrate a new birth of freedom. For the people here
today -- people who came to America from the old Country -- who
prayed for this day to come, the change we've witnessed - this
change we've worked for -- is & miracle come true.
There are those Mai to quote the poet -- who will say that
the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is
nothing but a dream.
And they are right. / It is the American Dream.
Today, our challenge is to bring that spirit home -- home
from the towns your parents and grandparents were born in, to
this new world we call America. To focus this great nation on
the new mission at hand. 11
I know the main attraction this morning is pancakes, not
politics. So today I've set aside the standard Labor Day speech.
I want to do something a little different -- I want to take a few
minutes to speak to you about a serious matter, something you
should be thinking about as you go into that voting booth
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3
November 3rd: About the way we can change America's health care
system for the better. 11
Think about the challenges we face as a nation: Anyone
concerned about America's competitiveness has to see controlling
health care costs as key to a healthy economy. / Think about
the concerns we have as parents: Health care -- for ourselves,
for our kids -- has to top the list. 11
Maybe you're worried about what happens to your health care
if you change jobs -- or worse still, if you lose your job.
Maybe you've got a child with a long-term illness. You're
worried that if you leave your job -- even to take a better one -
- you'll lose your health care. [[LETTER FROM CLEVELAND GIRL,
TIFFANY MCNALLY, ON FAMILY'S HEALTH PROBLEMS ]] 11
The one thing this crisis is not about is quality of care.
American health care is first-rate, number one in the world.
Since 1980, average life expectancy in America is up -- infant
mortality is down. Deaths from heart disease are down. Deaths
from stroke -- down. One big reason is the [xx] percent increase
in faderal medical research in everything from Alsheimers to (HHS)
200 1000 are Americans in Eact
AIDS.
And right now, 1 majority OF Americane have
access to this quality care system. But the cost we pay for
health care has skyrocketed. Maybe it won't surprise anyone
who's made a trip to the pharmacy for prescription pills lately -
- but America's annual health care costs have risen from $74
billion dollars in 1970 to 8800 billion dollars today. And
still, more than 30 million Americans have no insurance at all.
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4
And don't kid yourselves. We all pay for high health care
costs -- more than once. High health costs are & drag you on our (HIIS)
economy -- drive up the deficit -- and soak up money - need for
other
important family expenses. 11
Back in Washington, some of the political pundite say that
health care is a Democratic issue. Well, I don't believe that,
and I'll tell you why: We've got the compassion - and the
common sense -- to change our system for the better. Health care
reform is a key part of my agenda for economic security. 11
I listen to the American people. You want to know you've
got insurance you can count on -- whether you keep your job /
lose your job / or change your job. I don't hear you calling for
higher taxes to finance a government take-over of our hospitals.
You see, I think that government is too big and it spends
too much. Right now, the cost of health care eats up 13 percent
of all the goods and services we produce. The last thing I want
to do is put the government in charge of 13 percent more of the
American economy, 11
(HIES)
And yet that's what some people want: To nationalize our
Washington
wasking ton
health care system. Put covernment in control: let government
Washington
set prices, let government xation the kind of care people get --
how much, what kind, and when they'll get it. / Go the
Washington route, and you know what we'll get: A health care
system that combines the efficiency of the House Post Office with
the compassion of the KGB. 11
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9- 3-92 11:31AM ;
OPD->
2024566218:# 6
SENI DT-Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; y- 2-92 ; 17:15 ;
The White House->
OPD:# 6
5
You know, that comparison made a few people hot under the
collar. I even got one letter from Russia telling me: "Quit
running down the KGB." 11
Nationalize health care, and here's what we're in for: Long
waiting lists for surgery -- shortages of the high-tech equipment
responsible for so many of the miracles of modern medicine. One
example: Right now, the Cleveland Clinic performs 10 coronary
bypass surgeries a day. High tech, high quality surgery --
without any wait. But if you live across Lake Erie in Canada,
the wait for coronary bypase surgery is six months. Need your
tonsils out? Take a number: The waiting list in Canada is 3 and
1/2 months. 11
And then there's the cost. According to some studies,
nationalized health care would mean a whopping $250 to $500
billion dollars a year in new taxes. 11
But you won't hear about higher taxes from the folks pushing
that scheme. Ask them about the side-effects of their plan, and
they just say: Take two aspirin -- and call me after the
election. 11
But there's another proposal out there that's every bit as
harmful to the economy. Maybe you've heard of it -- it's called
"Play or pay," and here's what it means: Each employer must
"play" - meaning: provide insurance for employees, or they can
"pay" -- a payroll tax to finance government health coverage.
Well, Play or Pay will leave a lot of small businesses --
businesses that are the heartbeat of this American economy
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9- 3-92 11:31AM ;
OPD->
2024566218:# 7
SENI BY:Xerox lelecopier 7020 ; 8- 2-92 ; 17:16 ;
The White House-
OPD:# 7
5
-- with a tough choice: one, out workers' wages to pay for
mandated health care. Two, fire some workers and use the savings
to cover the rest. or three: raise prices, and try to pass along
(HHS)
the cost to the consumer. Some reliable studies say a 7 percent
And
ther payroll tax will cost this country 700,000 jobs. Higher prices.
studies
lower wages, lost jobs: Any way you look at it -- that's the
say
would
wrong prescription for America. 11
cost twice
In the end, "Play or pay" is really no different from
as
nationalized health care. I'm tempted to call it "pay and pay."
It invites employers to stop offering health benefits, throw the
problem in the government's lap, and dump millions of working
Americans into a public plan like Medicaid. And because the new
payroll taxes in Play or Pay can't possibly pay for the program -
- you, the American taxpayer, will have to pick up the tab. 11
The fact is: We can reform health care without pushing our
economy into intensive care. 11 We start with these objectives:
a health care system built on choice -- not government control.
One that keeps costs down -- and opens HD access. But above all,
a health care system that gives all Americans real security --
security / that if they change jobs, 12 they or their kids
develop serious health problems, they'll still be able to count
on the coverage they need. 11
My plan meets every one of these objectives.
We can start making health care more accessible by making
health insurance more affordable. For low-income individuals and
families, I propose & health insurance credit -- up to $3,750
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9- 3-92 11:32AM ;
OPD->
2024566218;# 8
DENI DT:ABROX Telecopier 7020 : :- 2-92 ; 17:16 ;
The White House-
OPD:# 8
7
dollars a year to help people buy private health insurance.
Middle-income individuals and families -- all the way up to those
(HUS)
making $80,000 dollars -- will get a health insurance tax
deduction. All told, that's new help to purchase health
90
insurance for million Americans.
Take a family of two parents with a child: One working
parent -- employed by a company that doesn't provide health
coverage. That family's total income is $10,000 -- low enough to
put them under the poverty line, but high enough to make them
ineligible for Medicaid. / Right now, that family falls through
the cracks - can't afford any health care coverage at all.
Under my plan, that would change: this family would qualify for
$3750 health care credit -- payable to the health care insurer of
their choice. 11
All together, my plan will bring health care coverage to
almost 30 million uninsured Americans -- security to people who,
for far too long, have had to do without. 11
And as we open up health care to all Americans, we can cut
runaway costs -- by making the system more afficient. The key is
something we call Health Insurance Networks -- to pool small
businesses that too often can't afford to offer health insurance
to their workers, or worry that one worker's illness or accident
could drive everyone's health insurance through the roof.
Insurance costs obay the "law of large numbers:" The larger
nate
the group being insured, the lower the cost per individual.
a
Think of it this way: What kind of a deal can you get bargaining
moolistic
ver
analogy
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9- 3-92 :11:32AM ;
OPD->
2024566218:# 9
WENT VA Telecopier 1020 1 8- 2-82 17:17
;
The White House-
OPD:# 9
8
with the grocer to buy one box of cereal? Now let's say you got
together with everyone on your street, or better yet everyone in
your town, and then went back to buy careal? You'd drive a
harder bargain and get a better price. The same thing works for
health care.
We're also going to out health care costs by wringing out
waste and excess in the present system. That's why we've
targeted malpractice insurance for reform. You shouldn't have to
pay a lawver when you go to the doctor. Right now, people are
doing just that: High malpractice premiums mean higher doctors'
bills, higher hospital costs -- costs passed along not only to
the patient, but to every American taxpayer. [[Last year alone,
25
(HHS)
legal costs inflated our doctors bills by billion dollars.]]
Some I know are skeptical -- they think the savings won't
add up. But I can tell you, when each year's health care costs
total more than what we spend on our kids' education and our
country's national defense - combined -- even small changes can
save us billions.
I won't detail this morning the way the Health Insurance
Networks I mentioned will save money by helping cut red tape and
paperwork - the way we'll simplify and speed up claims
processing, or bring the growth in government health programs
under control. But I will say this: If we made the changes I've
talked about, my plan would save nearly 400 billion dollars in
the next four years. 11
SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 9- 3-92 :11:33AM ;
OPD->
2024566218:#10
DENT DT.ABROX Telecopier 7020 ; y- 2-92 i 17:17 ;
The White House+
OPD:#10
9
So today I challenge the Congress: Start with my small
business reforms -- with the package that will mean affordable,
quality health care for millions of Americans who don't have it
now, and bass my plan. And I ask all of you here to join me --
tell the Congress it's time to act. //
You know, when you're President, you get a lot of advice --
from all over the country, from people of all ages. Here's one
example, from a boy named Cory, 11 years old, on what a President
should do when you're fighting with Congress, and you just can't
get things done. Here's the quote: "Meet at the Capitol at
midnight, and check the Constitution to see who's right." 11
Well, if it gets things done
maybe it's worth a try. /
I know there are those who say this nation has seen its bast
day, They don't know the whole world still believes in America's
magic. They don't see the whole world thinks America is just
another way of saying the future.
Now that the entire world is turning our way -- toward free
government, free markets, less bureauoracy, less red tape and
more competition -- we can't turn back. America will move
forward -- mold the future into a new American century.
We can lift this country to new heights, to new hope. And
we will build the strong, secure America we want to pass on to
our kids. 11
Once again, my thanks for this warm Ohio welcome -- and may
God bless the United States of America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Date
FROM:
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Room 122 OEOB, Ext. 2930
20000 MI
Sherrie Glead
(GLEED)
Mou
4597
p.4.
w/ CEA re: Health
(20B)
348225SS
Document No
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
6667
DATE:
9/2/92
02
SEP 3 P12 33
NOON, THURS. , SEPT. 3
ACTION/CONCURRENCE /COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SUBJECT:
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MOORE
BAKER
MULLINS
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
PROVOST
BROMLEY
ROSS
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
TUTWILER
FITZWATER
ZOELLICK
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
BATES
HORNER
BOSKIN
MCBRIDE
MCGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to
Dan McGroarty, Rm. 122, x2930, with a copy to this
office NO LATER THAN NOON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3.
Thank you.
RESPONSE:
TO:
DAN MCGROARTY
September 3, 1992
PHILLIP D. BRADY
The NSC staff concurs with the proposed
presidential remarks.
Assistant to the President
Jhone Brent Scowcroft
and Staff Secretary
for
Ext. 2702
CC: Phillip D. Brady
McGroarty/Walters
September 2, 1992
4:00 p.m.
02 SEP 2 P4: 08
[health]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
HEALTH
CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
[Acknowledgements.] And of course, hats off to our hosts -
- Steve and Gretel Bencic. //
I bring greetings today from your Governor and my good
friend, George Voinovich. This is the first time he's missed out
on Steve and Gretel's cooking since 1966 -- but he's got good
reason today. Governor Voinovich is on a trade mission to South
Korea -- opening new markets for Ohio goods, and creating new
jobs for Ohio workers. //
[[You've all seen Gretel's cake, but you may not know the
story behind it. I don't want to give away her age, but years
-
ago, when Gretel was 2 years old, the war in Europe separated her
from her family. The Red Cross came to Gretel's rescue -- so
today she's returning the favor, to help the people of South
Florida and Louisiana in their moment of need. That's the best
in the American spirit: plenty of heart, always generous, always
ready to help neighbors in need. //]]
And after x-thousand Meals Ready to Eat, we may just airlift
Gretel's cake to Miami to take care of dessert. !!
[[And I want to salute today the contingents of Ohio's
finest -- Ohio National Guard units XXXX and xxx, on route now to
southern Florida. ]]
2
It's great to be here in Painsville to help open this year's
Oktoberfest. You've got the four basic food groups: pancakes
and syrup / bratwurst and beer. // And not one sprig of
broccoli in sight. //
This festival has always been a celebration of cultures --
but this year, in a very special way, it is a celebration of the
spirit. We've witnessed a world of change. Across Europe,
across continents, from Managua to Moscow, millions of men and
women now celebrate a new birth of freedom. For the people here
today -- people who came to America from the Old Country -- who
prayed for this day to come, the change we've witnessed -- this
change we've worked for -- is a miracle come true.
There are those -- to quote the poet -- who will say that
the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is
nothing but a dream.
And they are right. / It is the American Dream.
Today, our challenge is to bring that spirit home -- home
from the towns your parents and grandparents were born in, to
this new world we call America. To focus this great nation on
the new mission at hand. //
I know the main attraction this morning is pancakes, not
politics. So today I've set aside the standard Labor Day speech.
I want to do something a little different -- I want to take a few
minutes to speak to you about a serious matter, something you
should be thinking about as you go into that voting booth
3
November 3rd: About the way we can change America's health care
system for the better. //
Think about the challenges we face as a nation: Anyone
concerned about America's competitiveness has to see controlling
health care costs as key to a healthy economy. / Think about
the concerns we have as parents: Health care -- for ourselves,
for our kids -- has to top the list. //
Maybe you're worried about what happens to your health care
if you change jobs -- or worse still, if you lose your job.
Maybe you've got a child with a long-term illness. You're
worried that if you leave your job -- even to take a better one -
- you'll lose your health care. [[LETTER FROM CLEVELAND GIRL,
TIFFANY MCNALLY, ON FAMILY'S HEALTH PROBLEMS
]]
//
The one thing this crisis is not about is quality of care.
American health care is first-rate, number one in the world.
Since 1980, average life expectancy in America is up -- infant
mortality is down. Deaths from heart disease are down. Deaths
from stroke -- down. One big reason is the [xx] percent increase
in federal medical research in everything from Alzheimers to
AIDS.
And right now, the vast majority of Americans have
access to this quality care system. But the cost we pay for
health care has skyrocketed. Maybe it won't surprise anyone
who's made a trip to the pharmacy for prescription pills lately -
- but America's annual health care costs have risen from $74
billion dollars in 1970 to $800 billion dollars today. And
still, more than 30 million Americans have no insurance at all.
4
And don't kid yourselves. We all pay for high health care
costs -- more than once. High health costs are a drag on our
economy -- drive up the deficit -- and soak up money we need for
other vital public programs. //
Back in Washington, some of the political pundits say that
health care is a Democratic issue. Well, I don't believe that,
and I'll tell you why: We've got the compassion -- and the
common sense -- to change our system for the better. Health care
reform is a key part of my agenda for economic security. //
I listen to the American people. You want to know you've
got insurance you can count on -- whether you keep your job /
lose your job / or change your job. I don't hear you calling for
higher taxes to finance a government take-over of our hospitals.
You see, I think that government is too big and it spends
too much. Right now, the cost of health care eats up 13 percent
as a nation
of all the goods and services we produce N The last thing I want
to do is put the government in charge of 13 percent more of the
American economy. //
And yet that's what some people want: To nationalize our
health care system. Put government in control: let government
set prices, let government ration the kind of care people get --
how much, what kind, and when they'll get it. / Go the
government route, and you know what we'll get: A health care
system that combines the efficiency of the House Post Office with
the compassion of the KGB. //
5
You know, that comparison made a few people hot under the
collar. I even got one letter from Russia telling me: "Quit
running down the KGB.' //
Nationalize health care, and here's what we're in for: Long
waiting lists for surgery -- shortages of the high-tech equipment
responsible for so many of the miracles of modern medicine. One
example: Right now, the Cleveland Clinic performs 10 coronary
bypass surgeries a day. High tech, high quality surgery --
without any wait. But if you live across Lake Erie in Canada,
the wait for coronary bypass surgery is six months. Need your
tonsils out? Take a number: The waiting list in Canada is 3 and
1/2 months. //
And then there's the cost. According to some studies,
nationalized health care would mean a whopping $250 to $500
billion dollars a year in new taxes. //
But you won't hear about higher taxes from the folks pushing
that scheme. Ask them about the side-effects of their plan, and
they just say: Take two aspirin -- and call me after the
election. //
But there's another proposal out there that's every bit as
harmful to the economy. Maybe you've heard of it -- it's called
"Play or pay," and here's what it means: Each employer must
"play" -- meaning: provide insurance for employees, or they can
"pay" -- a payroll tax to finance government health coverage.
Well, Play or Pay will leave a lot of small businesses --
businesses that are the heartbeat of this American economy
6
-- with a tough choice: One, cut workers' wages to pay for
mandated health care. Two, fire some workers and use the savings
to cover the rest. Or three: raise prices, and try to pass along
the cost to the consumer. Some reliable studies say a 7 percent
payroll tax will cost this country 700,000 jobs. Higher prices,
lower wages, lost jobs: Any way you look at it -- that's the
wrong prescription for America. //
In the end, "Play or pay" is really no different from
nationalized health care. I'm tempted to call it "pay and pay.' "
It invites employers to stop offering health benefits, throw the
problem in the government's lap, and dump millions of working
Americans into a public plan like Medicaid. And because the new
payroll taxes in Play or Pay can't possibly pay for the program -
- you, the American taxpayer, will have to pick up the tab. //
The fact is: We can reform health care without pushing our
economy into intensive care. // We start with these objectives:
a health care system built on choice -- not government control.
One that keeps costs down -- and opens up access. But above all,
a health care system that gives all Americans real security --
security / that if they change jobs, if they or their kids
develop serious health problems, they'll still be able to count
on the coverage they need. //
My plan meets every one of these objectives.
We can start making health care more accessible by making
health insurance more affordable. For low-income individuals and
families, I propose a health insurance credit -- up to $3,750
7
dollars a year to help people buy private health insurance.
Middle-income individuals and families -- all the way up to those
making $80,000 dollars -- will get a health insurance tax
deduction. All told, that's new help to purchase health
insurance for 70 million Americans.
Take a family of two parents with a child: One working
parent -- employed by a company that doesn't provide health
coverage. That family's total income is $10,000 -- low enough to
put them under the poverty line, but high enough to make them
ineligible for Medicaid. / Right now, that family falls through
the cracks -- can't afford any health care coverage at all.
Under my plan, that would change: this family would qualify for
$3750 health care credit -- payable to the health care insurer of
their choice. //
All together, my plan will bring health care coverage to
almost 30 million uninsured Americans -- security to people who,
for far too long, have had to do without. //
And as we open up health care to all Americans, we can cut
runaway costs -- by making the system more efficient. The key is
something we call Health Insurance Networks -- to pool small
businesses that too often can't afford to offer health insurance
to their workers, or worry that one worker's illness or accident
could drive everyone's health insurance through the roof.
Insurance costs obey the "law of large numbers:" The larger
the group being insured, the lower the cost per individual.
Think of it this way: What kind of a deal can you get bargaining
8
with the grocer to buy one box of cereal? Now let's say you got
together with everyone on your street, or better yet everyone in
your town, and then went back to buy cereal? You'd drive a
harder bargain and get a better price. The same thing works for
health care.
We're also going to cut health care costs by wringing out
waste and excess in the present system. That's why we've
targeted malpractice insurance for reform. You shouldn't have to
pay a lawyer when you go to the doctor. Right now, people are
doing just that: High malpractice premiums mean higher doctors'
bills, higher hospital costs -- costs passed along not only to
the patient, but to every American taxpayer. [[Last year alone,
legal costs inflated our doctors bills by XX billion dollars. ]]
Some I know are skeptical -- they think the savings won't
add up. But I can tell you, when each year's health care costs
total more than what we spend on our kids' education and our
country's national defense -- combined -- even small changes can
save us billions.
I won't detail this morning the way the Health Insurance
Networks I mentioned will save money by helping cut red tape and
paperwork -- the way we'll simplify and speed up claims
processing, or bring the growth in government health programs
under control. But I will say this: If we made the changes I've
talked about, my plan would save nearly 400 billion dollars in
the next four years. //
9
So today I challenge the Congress: Start with my small
business reforms -- with the package that will mean affordable,
quality health care for millions of Americans who don't have it
now, and pass my plan. And I ask all of you here to join me --
tell the Congress it's time to act. //
You know, when you're President, you get a lot of advice --
from all over the country, from people of all ages. Here's one
example, from a boy named Cory, 11 years old, on what a President
should do when you're fighting with Congress, and you just can't
get things done. Here's the quote: "Meet at the Capitol at
midnight, and check the Constitution to see who's right.' //
Well, if it gets things done
...
maybe it's worth a try. /
I know there are those who say this nation has seen its best
day. They don't know the whole world still believes in America's
magic. They don't see the whole world thinks America is just
another way of saying ... the
future.
Now that the entire world is turning our way -- toward free
government, free markets, less bureaucracy, less red tape and
more competition -- we can't turn back. America will move
forward -- mold the future into a new American century.
We can lift this country to new heights, to new hope. And
we will build the strong, secure America we want to pass on to
our kids. //
Once again, my thanks for this warm Ohio welcome -- and may
God bless the United States of America.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
92 SEP 3 A 9 : 56
September 2, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR DANIEL B. McGROARTY
Special Assistant to the President and
Deputy Director of Speechwriting
FROM:
Associate Counsel JR to the President
JANET REHNQUIST
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks -- Health Care; Painsville,
Ohio; September 5, 1992
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
CHANGES
HEALTH CARE
PAINESVILLE, OHIO SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
THANK YOU MIKE FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. BARBARA AND I
ARE GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU AND FRAN. IT'S GOOD TO
SEE BOB BENNETT; NATIONAL COMMITTEE-WOMAN MARTHA MOORE,
BOB GARDNER -- WHO'S RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. AND OF
COURSE, HATS OFF TO OUR HOSTS: THE BENCICS [BENZ-
ICKS] -- STEVE, GRETEL, MARTIN, CARL, EDITH, AND LINDA.
I BRING GREETINGS TODAY FROM YOUR GOVERNOR AND MY
GOOD FRIEND, GEORGE VOINOVICH. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
GOV. VOINOVICH HAS MISSED THIS EVENT SINCE 1966. HE'S
ON A TRADE MISSION TO SOUTHEAST ASIA -- OPENING NEW
MARKETS FOR OHIO GOODS, AND CREATING NEW JOBS FOR OHIO
WORKERS. // I'M SURE EGG ROLLS TASTE GREAT ... BUT
YOU CAN'T PUT SYRUP ON EGG ROLLS.
YOU'VE ALL SEEN GRETEL'S CAKE, BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW
THE STORY BEHIND IT. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY HER
AGE, BUT 50 YEARS AGO, WHEN GRETEL WAS A LITTLE GIRL,
THE WAR IN EUROPE SEPARATED HER FROM HER MOTHER. THE
RED CROSS CAME TO GRETEL'S RESCUE -- so TODAY SHE'S
RETURNING THE FAVOR
EVERYONE WHO EATS A PIECE OF
CONTRIBUTING
GRETEL'S CAKE, IS BUYING FOOD TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF
SOUTH FLORIDA AND LOUISIANA. IN THEIR MOMENT OF NEED.
e
HEALTH CARE
PAINESVILLE, OHIO SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
THANK YOU MIKE FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. BARBARA AND I
ARE GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU AND FRAN. IT'S GOOD TO
SEE BOB BENNETT; NATIONAL COMMITTEE-WOMAN MARTHA MOORE,
BOB GARDNER -- WHO'S RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. AND OF
COURSE, HATS OFF TO OUR HOSTS: THE BENCICS [BENZ-
ICKS] -- STEVE, GRETEL, MARTIN, CARL, EDITH, AND LINDA.
I BRING GREETINGS TODAY FROM YOUR GOVERNOR AND MY
GOOD FRIEND, GEORGE VOINOVICH. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
GOV. VOINOVICH HAS MISSED THIS EVENT SINCE 1966. HE'S
ON A TRADE MISSION TO SOUTHEAST ASIA -- OPENING NEW
MARKETS FOR OHIO GOODS, AND CREATING NEW JOBS FOR OHIO
WORKERS. // I'M SURE EGG ROLLS TASTE GREAT
BUT
YOU CAN'T PUT SYRUP ON EGG ROLLS.
YOU'VE ALL SEEN GRETEL'S CAKE, BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW
THE STORY BEHIND IT. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY HER
AGE, BUT 50 YEARS AGO, WHEN GRETEL WAS A LITTLE GIRL,
THE WAR IN EUROPE SEPARATED HER FROM HER MOTHER. THE
RED CROSS CAME TO GRETEL'S RESCUE -- SO TODAY SHE'S
RETURNING THE FAVOR
EVERYONE WHO EATS A PIECE OF
GRETEL'S CAKE, IS BUYING FOOD TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF
SOUTH FLORIDA AND LOUISIANA IN THEIR MOMENT OF NEED.
- 2 -
[CAND I WANT TO SALUTE TODAY THE CONTINGENTS OF
OHIO'S FINEST -- THE OHIO NATIONAL GUARD 179TH AIRLIFT
GROUP BACK FROM THEIR MISSION OF MERCY TO SOUTH
FLORIDA.: ]]
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE IN PAINESVILLE TO HELP OPEN
THIS YEAR'S OKTOBERFEST. YOU'VE GOT THE FOUR BASIC
FOOD GROUPS: PANCAKES AND SYRUP / BRATWURST AND BEER.
// AND NOT A SPRIG OF BROCCOLI TO BE SEEN. //
THIS FESTIVAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF
CULTURES -- BUT THIS YEAR, IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY, IT IS
A CELEBRATION OF THE SPIRIT. WE'VE WITNESSED A WORLD
OF CHANGE. ACROSS EUROPE, ACROSS CONTINENTS, FROM
PANAMA CITY TO PRAGUE, MILLIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN NOW
CELEBRATE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM.
IN GERMANY, A WALL HAS FALLEN. AND WE SHOULD TAKE
GREAT PRIDE IN KNOWING THAT THE GERMAN PEOPLE GIVE
THANKS TO US -- THE UNITED STATES -- FOR STANDING UP
FOR THEIR UNITY, THEIR FREEDOM.
- 3 -
FOR THE PEOPLE HERE TODAY -- PEOPLE WHO CAME TO
AMERICA FROM THE OLD COUNTRY -- WHO PRAYED FOR THIS DAY
TO COME, THE CHANGE WE'VE WITNESSED -- THIS CHANGE
WE'VE WORKED FOR -- IS A MIRACLE COME TRUE.
THERE ARE THOSE -- TO QUOTE THE POET -- WHO WILL
SAY THAT THE LIBERATION OF HUMANITY, THE FREEDOM OF MAN
AND MIND, IS NOTHING BUT A DREAM.
AND THEY ARE RIGHT. / IT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM.
TODAY, OUR CHALLENGE IS TO BRING THAT SPIRIT HOME -
- HOME FROM THE TOWNS YOUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
WERE BORN IN, TO THIS NEW WORLD WE CALL AMERICA. TO
FOCUS THIS GREAT NATION ON THE NEW MISSION AT HAND. //
- 5 -
WELL, THAT IS WRONG. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO CHANGE
THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA. HEALTH CARE REFORM
ISN'T JUST ABOUT STUDIES AND COLD STATISTICS -- IT'S
ABOUT REAL WORRIES / REAL LIVES.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE QUALITY OF CARE. AMERICAN
HEALTH CARE IS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD. SINCE 1980,
AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IS UP -- INFANT MORTALITY IS
DOWN. DEATH RATES FROM HEART DISEASE -- DOWN. DEATHS
FROM STROKE -- DOWN. //
RIGHT NOW, 200 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS TO
THIS QUALITY CARE SYSTEM. BUT THAT HIGH QUALITY, HIGH-
TECH MEDICAL CARE COMES AT AN UNACCEPTABLE PRICE: AN
ESTIMATED 30 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE NO INSURANCE AT ALL
-- AND MILLIONS MORE, LIKE THE MCNALLYS, ARE AFRAID TO
CHANGE JOBS FOR FEAR OF LOSING THE HEALTH INSURANCE
THEY'VE GOT. ALL TOLD, AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE NOW TOPS
$800 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR -- AND THE COST IS RISING
TWO TO THREE TIMES THE RATE OF INFLATION. THAT'S WHY
HEALTH CARE REFORM IS A KEY PART OF MY AGENDA FOR
ECONOMIC SECURITY. //
- 14 -
MY OPPONENT BACKS A PLAN THAT GOES BY A DIFFERENT
NAME -- BUT IN THE END, TAKES YOU TO THE SAME PLACE:
NATIONALIZED HEALTH CARE. IT'S CALLED "PLAY OR PAY,"
AND HERE'S WHAT IT MEANS: EACH EMPLOYER MUST "PLAY" -
- MEANING: SHELL OUT FOR INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES, OR
"PAY" -- EXTRACT A PAYROLL TAX TO FINANCE GOVERNMENT
HEALTH COVERAGE. 11
WELL, "PLAY OR PAY" WILL LEAVE A LOT OF SMALL
BUSINESSES -- WITH TWO CRUMMY OPTIONS: CUT WORKERS'
WAGES TO PAY FOR MANDATED HEALTH CARE. OR FIRE SOME
WORKERS AND USE THE SAVINGS TO COVER THE REST. 11
ACCORDING TO AN INDEPENDENT URBAN INSTITUTE STUDY, THE
"PAY" PART OF THIS PLAN IS NO PLAYGROUND. IT WILL
REQUIRE AT LEAST A 7 PERCENT PAYROLL TAX. ACCORDING TO
ESTIMATES THAT KIND OF TAX WILL COST THIS COUNTRY
700,000 JOBS. FOR AN EMPLOYEE EARNING $24,000 DOLLARS
A YEAR -- THAT PAYROLL TAX WOULD MEAN $1,700 CHOPPED
OUT OF HIS PAYCHECK. // HIGHER PRICES, LOWER WAGES,
LOST JOBS: ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT -- THAT'S THE WRONG
PRESCRIPTION FOR AMERICA. //
- 15 -
NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY I BELIEVE HEALTH CARE IS GOING
TO BE A REPUBLICAN ISSUE THIS YEAR. / MY OPPONENT
JUST ISN'T UP TO THE MARK ON HEALTH CARE. A MAJOR
NEWSPAPER, THE NEW YORK TIMES, DESCRIBED BILL CLINTON'S
ATTENTION TO HEALTH CARE ISSUES AS -- AND I QUOTE --
"OCCASIONAL."
AND IT'S NO SURPRISE WHY: AFTER HAVING GOVERNOR
CLINTON FOR 12 YEARS, ONE IN FOUR FOLKS IN ARKANSAS
DON'T EVEN HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE!
BILL CLINTON HAS PROMISED HE'LL DO FOR AMERICA WHAT
HE'S DONE FOR ARKANSAS. MY QUESTION IS: WHY WOULD WE
LET HIM? //
- 16 -
I WANT TO START MOVING FORWARD ON HEALTH REFORM.
CONGRESS COMES BACK FROM RECESS NEXT TUESDAY. MY
OPPONENTS ARE DIVIDED -- EVEN THEY KNOW THEIR TWO
PROPOSALS WON'T WORK. I SAY: LET CONGRESS START BY
PASSING MY SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH CARE REFORMS -- TO
BRING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO DON'T HAVE IT NOW. MAKE IT A LABOR DAY
PRESENT TO THE AMERICAN WORKER. //
ON THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WE SHOULD REMEMBER WHAT
JEFFERSON CALLED THE SUM OF GOOD GOVERNMENT: WHETHER
IT RESPECTED THE RIGHT OF EACH ONE OF US, THOMAS
JEFFERSON SAID -- AND I QUOTE -- "A WISE AND FRUGAL
GOVERNMENT ... SHALL NOT TAKE FROM THE MOUTH OF LABOR
THE BREAD IT HAS EARNED. " 11
IN JEFFERSON'S DAY, DOCTORS MADE HOUSE CALLS ON
HORSEBACK AND LIFE WAS SHORT. TODAY, WE HAVE MIRACLE
MEDICINES THAT CAN PLUCK US FROM DEATH'S DOOR. //
- 17 -
I WANT TO START MOVING FORWARD ON HEALTH REFORM.
CONGRESS COMES BACK FROM RECESS NEXT TUESDAY. MY
OPPONENTS ARE DIVIDED -- EVEN THEY KNOW THEIR TWO
PROPOSALS WON'T WORK. I SAY: LET CONGRESS START BY
PASSING MY SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH CARE REFORMS -- TO
BRING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY HEALTH CARE TO MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS WHO DON'T HAVE IT NOW. MAKE IT A LABOR DAY
PRESENT TO THE AMERICAN WORKER. 11
ON THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WE SHOULD REMEMBER WHAT
JEFFERSON CALLED THE SUM OF GOOD GOVERNMENT: WHETHER
IT RESPECTED THE RIGHT OF EACH ONE OF US, THOMAS
JEFFERSON SAID -- AND I QUOTE -- "A WISE AND FRUGAL
GOVERNMENT SHALL NOT TAKE FROM THE MOUTH OF LABOR
THE BREAD IT HAS EARNED. //
IN JEFFERSON'S DAY, DOCTORS MADE HOUSE CALLS ON
HORSEBACK AND LIFE WAS SHORT. TODAY, WE HAVE MIRACLE
MEDICINES THAT CAN PLUCK US FROM DEATH'S DOOR. 11
HEALTH CARE
PAINESVILLE, OHIO SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
THANK YOU MIKE FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. BARBARA AND I
ARE GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU AND FRAN. IT'S GOOD TO
SEE BOB BENNETT; NATIONAL COMMITTEE-WOMAN MARTHA MOORE,
BOB GARDNER -- WHO'S RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. AND OF
COURSE, HATS OFF TO OUR HOSTS -- STEVE AND GRETEL
BENCIC [BENZ-ICK]. //
I BRING GREETINGS TODAY FROM YOUR GOVERNOR AND MY
GOOD FRIEND, GEORGE VOINOVICH. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
GOV. VOINOVICH HAS MISSED THIS EVENT SINCE 1966. HE'S
ON A TRADE MISSION TO SOUTHEAST ASIA -- OPENING NEW
MARKETS FOR OHIO GOODS, AND CREATING NEW JOBS FOR OHIO
WORKERS. // I'M SURE EGG ROLLS TASTE GREAT ...
BUT
YOU CAN'T PUT SYRUP ON EGG ROLLS.
YOU'VE ALL SEEN GRETEL'S CAKE, BUT YOU MAY NOT KNOW
THE STORY BEHIND IT. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE AWAY HER
AGE, BUT 50 YEARS AGO, WHEN GRETEL WAS A LITTLE GIRL,
THE WAR IN EUROPE SEPARATED HER FROM HER MOTHER. THE
RED CROSS CAME TO GRETEL'S RESCUE -- SO TODAY SHE'S
RETURNING THE FAVOR, TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH
FLORIDA AND LOUISIANA IN THEIR MOMENT OF NEED.
- 2 -
THE SURVIVORS OF HURRICANE ANDREW HAVE BEEN EATING
MILITARY RATIONS FOR 11 DAYS. WE HAVE A CARGO PLANE ON
STAND-BY - -- READY TO DESCEND ON THEM WITH 500 POUNDS OF
GRETEL'S CAKE. I KNOW THERE WON'T BE A CRUMB LEFT IN
SIGHT.
[CAND I WANT TO SALUTE TODAY THE CONTINGENTS OF
OHIO'S FINEST -- THE OHIO NATIONAL GUARD 179TH AIRLIFT
GROUP BACK FROM THEIR MISSION OF MERCY TO SOUTH
FLORIDA.]]
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE IN PAINESVILLE TO HELP OPEN
THIS YEAR'S OKTOBERFEST. YOU'VE GOT THE FOUR BASIC
FOOD GROUPS: PANCAKES AND SYRUP / BRATWURST AND BEER.
// AND NOT A SPRIG OF BROCCOLI TO BE SEEN. //
- 3 -
THIS FESTIVAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF
CULTURES -- BUT THIS YEAR, IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY, IT IS
A CELEBRATION OF THE SPIRIT. WE'VE WITNESSED A WORLD
OF CHANGE. ACROSS EUROPE, ACROSS CONTINENTS, FROM
PANAMA CITY TO PRAGUE, MILLIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN NOW
CELEBRATE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM. FOR THE PEOPLE HERE
TODAY -- PEOPLE WHO CAME TO AMERICA FROM THE OLD
COUNTRY -- WHO PRAYED FOR THIS DAY TO COME, THE CHANGE
WE'VE WITNESSED - -- THIS CHANGE WE'VE WORKED FOR -- IS A
MIRACLE COME TRUE.
THERE ARE THOSE -- TO QUOTE THE POET -- WHO WILL
SAY THAT THE LIBERATION OF HUMANITY, THE FREEDOM OF MAN
AND MIND, IS NOTHING BUT A DREAM.
AND THEY ARE RIGHT. / IT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM.
TODAY, OUR CHALLENGE IS TO BRING THAT SPIRIT HOME -
- HOME FROM THE TOWNS YOUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
WERE BORN IN, TO THIS NEW WORLD WE CALL AMERICA. TO
FOCUS THIS GREAT NATION ON THE NEW MISSION AT HAND. //
- 4 -
I KNOW THE MAIN ATTRACTION THIS MORNING IS
PANCAKES, NOT POLITICS. BUT TODAY I WANT TO TAKE A FEW
MINUTES TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT A SERIOUS MATTER,
SOMETHING I HOPE YOU'LL BE THINKING ABOUT AS YOU GO
INTO THAT VOTING BOOTH NOVEMBER 3RD: ABOUT THE WAY WE
CAN CHANGE AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FOR THE BETTER.
//
I WANT TO TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT THE MCNALLY
FAMILY FROM DORSET, OHIO -- I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THEM
WHEN TIFFANY MCNALLY WROTE ME AT THE WHITE HOUSE TWO
YEARS AGO. FOUR MEMBERS OF TIFFANY'S FAMILY HAVE A
RARE BLOOD DISEASE -- AND TIFFANY, WHO IS ADOPTED, WAS
BORN WITH FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME.
NOW, WHAT IF MR. MCNALLY WERE LAID OFF -- OR WORSE
STILL, LOST HIS JOB? OR, WHAT IF MR. MCNALLY FOUND A
BETTER JOB -- BUT THE CATCH WAS: NO NEW HEALTH INSURER
WOULD CARRY HIM OR HIS FAMILY. HE'D HAVE TO STAY PUT,
AND LET THAT OPPORTUNITY PASS HIM BY.
- 5 -
WELL, THAT IS WRONG. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO CHANGE
THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA. HEALTH CARE REFORM
ISN'T JUST ABOUT STUDIES AND COLD STATISTICS -- IT'S
ABOUT REAL WORRIES / REAL LIVES.
THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE QUALITY OF CARE. AMERICAN
HEALTH CARE IS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD. SINCE 1980,
AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IS UP -- INFANT MORTALITY IS
DOWN. DEATH RATES FROM HEART DISEASE - -- DOWN. DEATHS
FROM STROKE - -- DOWN. //
RIGHT NOW, 200 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE ACCESS TO
THIS QUALITY CARE SYSTEM. BUT THAT HIGH QUALITY, HIGH-
TECH MEDICAL CARE COMES AT AN UNACCEPTABLE PRICE: 34
MILLION AMERICANS HAVE NO INSURANCE AT ALL -- -- AND
MILLIONS MORE, LIKE THE MCNALLYS, ARE AFRAID TO CHANGE
JOBS FOR FEAR OF LOSING THE HEALTH INSURANCE THEY'VE
GOT. ALL TOLD, AMERICA'S HEALTH CARE NOW TOPS $800
BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR -- AND THE COST IS RISING TWO TO
THREE TIMES THE RATE OF INFLATION. THAT'S WHY HEALTH
CARE REFORM IS A KEY PART OF MY AGENDA FOR ECONOMIC
X SECURITY. //
- 6 -
THIS ELECTION YEAR, HEALTH CARE IS GOING TO BE A
REPUBLICAN ISSUE. // WE HAVE A GOOD PROGRAM, AND MY
DEMOCRATIC OPPONENTS ARE DIVIDED BETWEEN TWO BAD ONES
-- BOTH OF WHICH WOULD PUT GOVERNMENT IN CHARGE OF
HEALTH CARE.
THE FACT IS: WE CAN REFORM THE SYSTEM WITHOUT
PUSHING OUR ECONOMY INTO INTENSIVE CARE X / WE MUST
BUILD ON THE STRENGTHS OF THE SYSTEM THAT'S GIVEN US
THE HIGHEST QUALITY CARE IN THE WORLD: ON CONSUMER
CHOICE -- ON INNOVATION AND STATE-OF-THE-ART MEDICINE
-- WHILE CONTROLLING COSTS AND EXPANDING ACCESS.
- 7 -
WE NEED AN EFFICIENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM BUILT ON
COMPETITION TO CONTROL COSTS -- NOT GOVERNMENT CONTROL
AND RATIONING CARE. BUT ABOVE ALL, WE NEED A HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM THAT GIVES ALL AMERICANS REAL SECURITY --
SECURITY THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON THE COVERAGE YOU NEED.
MY PLAN MEETS EVERY ONE OF THESE OBJECTIVES K WE CAN
MAKE HEALTH CARE MORE ACCESSIBLE BY MAKING HEALTH
INSURANCE MORE AFFORDABLE. / TAKE A FAMILY OF TWO
PARENTS AND TWO KIDS. LET'S SAY THAT FAMILY'S TOTAL
INCOME IS $13,000 -- LOW ENOUGH TO PUT THEM AT THE
POVERTY LINE, BUT HIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM INELIGIBLE
FOR MEDICAID. / RIGHT NOW, THAT FAMILY MAY FALL
THROUGH THE CRACKS -- MAY NOT BE COVERED THROUGH WORK
-- AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD ANY HEALTH CARE
COVERAGE AT ALL. UNDER MY PLAN, THAT WOULD CHANGE:
THIS FAMILY WOULD GET A $3,750 HEALTH CARE CREDIT --
PAYABLE TO THE HEALTH CARE INSURER OF THEIR CHOICE. /
- 8 -
FOR MIDDLE-INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES --- ALL
THE WAY UP TO THOSE MAKING $80,000 DOLLARS -- MY PLAN
PROVIDES A HEALTH INSURANCE TAX CREDIT OR DEDUCTION
THAT WILL EASE THE BURDEN OF HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS.
//
ALL TOLD, MY PLAN WILL BRING HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
TO ALMOST 30 MILLION UNINSURED AMERICANS -- AND NEW
HELP TO NEARLY 95 MILLION AMERICANS STRUGGLING TO MEET
HEALTH CARE'S RUNAWAY COSTS.
MY PLAN PROVIDES SECURITY TO FAMILIES LIKE THE
MCNALLYS AND OTHERS CAUGHT IN WHAT HEALTH CARE EXPERTS
CALL "JOB LOCK" -- THE FEAR THAT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY
CALL "PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS," CHANGING JOBS
WILL COST YOU AND YOUR FAMILY YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE.
- 9 -
MY PLAN CUTS RUNAWAY COSTS BY MAKING THE SYSTEM
MORE EFFICIENT. THE KEY IS SOMETHING WE CALL HEALTH
INSURANCE NETWORKS -- POOLING TOGETHER INDIVIDUALS AND
BUSINESSES THAT TOO OFTEN CAN'T AFFORD TO OFFER HEALTH
INSURANCE TO THEIR WORKERS -- OR THAT WORRY THAT ONE
WORKER'S ILLNESS OR ACCIDENT COULD DRIVE EVERYONE'S
HEALTH INSURANCE THROUGH THE ROOF.
INSURANCE COSTS OBEY THE "LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS:"
THE LARGER THE GROUP BEING INSURED, THE LOWER THE COST
PER INDIVIDUAL -- THE BROADER THE RISK IS SPREAD -- THE
LOWER THE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO CUT HEALTH CARE COSTS BY
WRINGING OUT WASTE AND EXCESS IN THE PRESENT SYSTEM.
THAT'S WHY WE'VE TARGETED MALPRACTICE INSURANCE FOR
REFORM.
- 10 -
HIGH MALPRACTICE PREMIUMS MEAN HIGHER DOCTORS'
BILLS, EXPENSIVE, UNNECESSARY TESTS AND HIGHER HOSPITAL
COSTS COSTS PASSED ALONG NOT ONLY TO THE PATIENT,
BUT TO EVERY AMERICAN TAXPAYER. LAST YEAR ALONE, LEGAL
COSTS INFLATED OUR DOCTORS' BILLS BY $20 BILLION
DOLLARS. 11 YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY A LAWYER WHEN
YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR. //
WHEN HEALTH CARE COSTS TOTAL MORE THAN WHAT WE
SPEND ON OUR KIDS' EDUCATION AND OUR COUNTRY'S NATIONAL
DEFENSE COMBINED -- EVEN SMALL CHANGES CAN SAVE US
BILLIONS. AND IF WE MADE ALL THE CHANGES I'VE TALKED
ABOUT, MY PLAN WOULD SAVE NEARLY 400 BILLION DOLLARS IN
THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. //
I LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. YOU WANT TO KNOW
YOU'VE GOT INSURANCE YOU CAN COUNT ON -- AND I DON'T
HEAR YOU CALLING FOR HIGHER TAXES TO FINANCE A
GOVERNMENT TAKE-OVER OF OUR HOSPITALS.
- 11 -
AND YET THAT'S WHAT SOME OF MY OPPONENTS WANT: TO
NATIONALIZE OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. PUT GOVERNMENT IN
CONTROL: LET GOVERNMENT FIX PRICES, LET GOVERNMENT
RATION THE KIND OF CARE PEOPLE GET -- HOW MUCH, WHAT
KIND, AND WHEN THEY'LL GET IT. / GO THE GOVERNMENT
ROUTE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT WE'LL GET: A HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM THAT COMBINES THE EFFICIENCY OF THE HOUSE POST
OFFICE WITH THE COMPASSION OF THE KGB. //
YOU KNOW, THAT COMPARISON MADE A FEW PEOPLE HOT
UNDER THE COLLAR. I EVEN GOT ONE LETTER FROM RUSSIA
TELLING ME: "QUIT RUNNING DOWN THE KGB." //
- 12 -
NATIONALIZE HEALTH CARE, AND HERE'S WHAT WE'RE IN
FOR: LONG WAITING LISTS FOR SURGERY -- SHORTAGES OF
THE HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MANY OF THE
MIRACLES OF MODERN MEDICINE. ONE EXAMPLE: RIGHT NOW,
THE CLEVELAND CLINIC PERFORMS 10 CORONARY BYPASS
SURGERIES A DAY. HIGH TECH, HIGH QUALITY SURGERY --
WITHOUT ANY WAIT. BUT IF YOU LIVE ACROSS LAKE ERIE IN
CANADA, THE WAIT FOR CORONARY BYPASS SURGERY IS UP TO
SIX MONTHS. THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF SYSTEM AMERICA
WANTS OR NEEDS.
AND THEN THERE'S THE COST. ACCORDING TO SOME
STUDIES, NATIONALIZED HEALTH CARE WOULD MEAN A WHOPPING
$250 TO $500 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN NEW TAXES. //
BUT YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT HIGHER TAXES FROM THE FOLKS
PUSHING THAT SCHEME. ASK THEM ABOUT THE SIDE-EFFECTS
OF THEIR PLAN, AND THEY JUST SAY: TAKE TWO ASPIRIN --
AND CALL ME AFTER THE ELECTION. //
- 13 -
MY OPPONENT BACKS A PLAN THAT GOES BY A DIFFERENT
NAME -- BUT IN THE END, TAKES YOU TO THE SAME PLACE:
NATIONALIZED HEALTH CARE. IT'S CALLED "PLAY OR PAY,"
AND HERE'S WHAT IT MEANS: EACH EMPLOYER MUST "PLAY" -
- MEANING: SHELL OUT FOR INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES, OR
"PAY" -- EXTRACT A PAYROLL TAX TO FINANCE GOVERNMENT
HEALTH COVERAGE. //
MSAG
WELL, "PLAY OR PAY" WILL LEAVE A LOT OF SMALL
BUSINESSES - WITH TWO CRUMMY OPTIONS: CUT WORKERS'
WAGES TO PAY FOR MANDATED HEALTH CARE. OR FIRE SOME
WORKERS AND USE THE SAVINGS TO COVER THE REST. //
ACCORDING TO AN INDEPENDENT URBAN INSTITUTE STUDY, THE
"PAY" PART OF THIS PLAN IS NO PLAYGROUND. IT WILL
REQUIRE AT LEAST A 7 PERCENT PAYROLL TAX THAT WILL COST
THIS COUNTRY 700,000 JOBS. FOR AN EMPLOYEE EARNING
$24,000 DOLLARS A YEAR -- THAT PAYROLL TAX WOULD MEAN
$1,700 CHOPPED OUT OF HIS PAYCHECK. // HIGHER PRICES,
LOWER WAGES, LOST JOBS: ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT --
THAT'S THE WRONG PRESCRIPTION FOR AMERICA. //
- 14 -
IN THE END, "PLAY OR PAY" IS REALLY NO DIFFERENT
FROM NATIONALIZED HEALTH CARE. I'M TEMPTED TO CALL IT
"PAY AND PAY AND PAY AGAIN." IT'S AN OPEN INVITATION
FOR EMPLOYERS TO STOP OFFERING HEALTH BENEFITS, THROW
THE PROBLEM IN THE GOVERNMENT'S LAP -- AND DUMP
MILLIONS OF WORKING AMERICANS INTO A PUBLIC PLAN LIKE
MEDICAID.
RIGHT NOW, THE COST OF HEALTH CARE EATS UP 13
PERCENT OF ALL THE GOODS AND SERVICES WE PRODUCE. DO
YOU REALLY WANT TO TURN ANOTHER HUGE CHUNK OF OUR
ECONOMY OVER TO THE GOVERNMENT? WE CAN'T AFFORD TO
SADDLE OURSELVES WITH A HEALTH CARE "CURE" THAT'S WORSE
THAN THE DISEASE. ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE A BETTER
ALTERNATIVE. //
- 15 -
NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY I BELIEVE HEALTH CARE IS GOING
TO BE A REPUBLICAN ISSUE THIS YEAR. / MY OPPONENT
JUST ISN'T UP TO THE MARK ON HEALTH CARE. A MAJOR
NEWSPAPER, THE NEW YORK TIMES, DESCRIBED BILL CLINTON'S
ATTENTION TO HEALTH CARE ISSUES AS -- AND I QUOTE --
"OCCASIONAL."
AND IT'S NO SURPRISE WHY: AFTER HAVING GOVERNOR
CLINTON FOR 12 YEARS, ONE IN FOUR ARKANSANS DON'T EVEN
HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE!
BILL CLINTON HAS PROMISED HE'LL DO FOR AMERICA WHAT
HE'S DONE FOR ARKANSAS. MY QUESTION IS: WHY WOULD WE
LET HIM? //
McGroarty/Walters
September 2, 1992
4:00 p.m.
[health]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
[Acknowledgements.] And of course, hats off to our hosts -
- Steve and Gretel Bencic. //
I bring greetings today from your Governor and my good
friend, George Voinovich. This is the first time he's missed out
on Steve and Gretel's cooking since 1966 -- but he's got good
reason today. Governor Voinovich is on a trade mission to South
Korea -- opening new markets for Ohio goods, and creating new
jobs for Ohio workers. //
[[You've all seen Gretel's cake, but you may not know the
story behind it. I don't want to give away her age, but - years
ago, when Gretel was 2 years old, the war in Europe separated her
from her family. The Red Cross came to Gretel's rescue -- so
today she's returning the favor, to help the people of South
Florida and Louisiana in their moment of need. That's the best
in the American spirit: plenty of heart, always generous, always
ready to help neighbors in need. //]]
And after x-thousand Meals Ready to Eat, we may just airlift
Gretel's cake to Miami to take care of desert. //
[[And I want to salute today the contingents of Ohio's
finest -- Ohio National Guard units XXXX and xxx, on route now to
southern Florida. ]]
2
It's great to be here in Painsville to help open this year's
Oktoberfest. You've got the four basic food groups: pancakes
and syrup / bratwurst and beer. // And not one sprig of
broccoli in sight. //
This festival has always been a celebration of cultures --
but this year, in a very special way, it is a celebration of the
spirit. We've witnessed a world of change. Across Europe,
across continents, from Managua to Moscow, millions of men and
women now celebrate a new birth of freedom. For the people here
today -- people who came to America from the Old Country -- who
prayed for this day to come, the change we've witnessed -- this
change we've worked for -- is a miracle come true.
There are those -- to quote the poet -- who will say that
the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is
nothing but a dream.
And they are right. / It is the American Dream.
Today, our challenge is to bring that spirit home -- home
from the towns your parents and grandparents were born in, to
this new world we call America. To focus this great nation on
the new mission at hand. //
I know the main attraction this morning is pancakes, not
politics. So today I've set aside the standard Labor Day speech.
I want to do something a little different -- I want to take a few
minutes to speak to you about a serious matter, something you
should be thinking about as you go into that voting booth
3
November 3rd: About the way we can change America's health care
system for the better. //
Think about the challenges we face as a nation: Anyone
concerned about America's competitiveness has to see controlling
health care costs as key to a healthy economy. / Think about
the concerns we have as parents: Health care -- for ourselves,
for our kids -- has to top the list. //
Maybe you're worried about what happens to your health care
if you change jobs -- or worse still, if you lose your job.
Maybe you've got a child with a long-term illness. You're
worried that if you leave your job -- even to take a better one -
- you'll lose your health care. [[LETTER FROM CLEVELAND GIRL,
TIFFANY MCNALLY, ON FAMILY'S HEALTH PROBLEMS ]] //
The one thing this crisis is not about is quality of care.
American health care is first-rate, number one in the world.
Since 1980, average life expectancy in America is up -- infant
mortality is down. Deaths from heart disease are down. Deaths
from stroke -- down. One big reason is the [xx] percent increase
in federal medical research in everything from Alzheimers to
AIDS.
And right now, the vast majority of Americans have
access to this quality care system. But the cost we pay for
health care has skyrocketed. Maybe it won't surprise anyone
who's made a trip to the pharmacy for prescription pills lately -
- but America's annual health care costs have risen from $74
billion dollars in 1970 to $800 billion dollars today. And
still, more than 30 million Americans have no insurance at all.
4
And don't kid yourselves. We all pay for high health care
costs -- more than once. High health costs are a drag on our
economy -- drive up the deficit -- and soak up money we need for
other vital public programs. //
Back in Washington, some of the political pundits say that
health care is a Democratic issue. Well, I don't believe that,
and I'll tell you why: We've got the compassion -- and the
common sense -- to change our system for the better. Health care
reform is a key part of my agenda for economic security. //
I listen to the American people. You want to know you've
got insurance you can count on -- whether you keep your job /
lose your job / or change your job. I don't hear you calling for
higher taxes to finance a government take-over of our hospitals.
You see, I think that government is too big and it spends
too much. Right now, the cost of health care eats up 13 percent
of all the goods and services we produce. The last thing I want
to do is put the government in charge of 13 percent more of the
American economy. //
And yet that's what some people want: To nationalize our
health care system. Put government in control: let government
set prices, let government ration the kind of care people get --
how much, what kind, and when they'll get it. / Go the
government route, and you know what we'll get: A health care
system that combines the efficiency of the House Post Office with
the compassion of the KGB. //
5
You know, that comparison made a few people hot under the
collar. I even got one letter from Russia telling me: "Quit
running down the KGB.' //
Nationalize health care, and here's what we're in for: Long
waiting lists for surgery -- shortages of the high-tech equipment
responsible for so many of the miracles of modern medicine. One
example: Right now, the Cleveland Clinic performs 10 coronary
bypass surgeries a day. High tech, high quality surgery --
without any wait. But if you live across Lake Erie in Canada,
the wait for coronary bypass surgery is six months. Need your
tonsils out? Take a number: The waiting list in Canada is 3 and
1/2 months. //
And then there's the cost. According to some studies,
nationalized health care would mean a whopping $250 to $500
billion dollars a year in new taxes. //
But you won't hear about higher taxes from the folks pushing
that scheme. Ask them about the side-effects of their plan, and
they just say: Take two aspirin -- and call me after the
election. //
But there's another proposal out there that's every bit as
harmful to the economy. Maybe you've heard of it -- it's called
"Play or pay, " and here's what it means: Each employer must
"play" -- meaning: provide insurance for employees, or they can
"pay" -- a payroll tax to finance government health coverage.
Well, Play or Pay will leave a lot of small businesses --
businesses that are the heartbeat of this American economy
6
-- with a tough choice: One, cut workers' wages to pay for
mandated health care. Two, fire some workers and use the savings
to cover the rest. Or three: raise prices, and try to pass along
the cost to the consumer. Some reliable studies say a 7 percent
payroll tax will cost this country 700,000 jobs. Higher prices,
lower wages, lost jobs: Any way you look at it -- that's the
wrong prescription for America. //
In the end, "Play or pay" is really no different from
nationalized health care. I'm tempted to call it "pay and pay. "
It invites employers to stop offering health benefits, throw the
problem in the government's lap, and dump millions of working
Americans into a public plan like Medicaid. And because the new
payroll taxes in Play or Pay can't possibly pay for the program -
- you, the American taxpayer, will have to pick up the tab. //
The fact is: We can reform health care without pushing our
economy into intensive care. // We start with these objectives:
a health care system built on choice -- not government control.
One that keeps costs down -- and opens up access. But above all,
a health care system that gives all Americans real security --
security / that if they change jobs, if they or their kids
develop serious health problems, they'll still be able to count
on the coverage they need. //
My plan meets every one of these objectives.
We can start making health care more accessible by making
health insurance more affordable. For low-income individuals and
families, I propose a health insurance credit -- up to $3,750
7
dollars a year to help people buy private health insurance.
Middle-income individuals and families -- all the way up to those
making $80,000 dollars -- will get a health insurance tax
deduction. All told, that's new help to purchase health
insurance for 70 million Americans.
Take a family of two parents with a child: One working
parent --- employed by a company that doesn't provide health
coverage. That family's total income is $10,000 -- low enough to
put them under the poverty line, but high enough to make them
ineligible for Medicaid. / Right now, that family falls through
the cracks -- can't afford any health care coverage at all.
Under my plan, that would change: this family would qualify for
$3750 health care credit -- payable to the health care insurer of
their choice. //
All together, my plan will bring health care coverage to
almost 30 million uninsured Americans -- security to people who,
for far too long, have had to do without. //
And as we open up health care to all Americans, we can cut
runaway costs -- by making the system more efficient. The key is
something we call Health Insurance Networks -- to pool small
businesses that too often can't afford to offer health insurance
to their workers, or worry that one worker's illness or accident
could drive everyone's health insurance through the roof.
Insurance costs obey the "law of large numbers:" The larger
the group being insured, the lower the cost per individual.
Think of it this way: What kind of a deal can you get bargaining
8
with the grocer to buy one box of cereal? Now let's say you got
together with everyone on your street, or better yet everyone in
your town, and then went back to buy cereal? You'd drive a
harder bargain and get a better price. The same thing works for
health care.
We're also going to cut health care costs by wringing out
waste and excess in the present system. That's why we've
targeted malpractice insurance for reform. You shouldn't have to
pay a lawyer when you go to the doctor. Right now, people are
doing just that: High malpractice premiums mean higher doctors'
bills, higher hospital costs -- costs passed along not only to
the patient, but to every American taxpayer. [[Last year alone,
legal costs inflated our doctors bills by XX billion dollars. ]]
Some I know are skeptical -- they think the savings won't
add up. But I can tell you, when each year's health care costs
total more than what we spend on our kids' education and our
country's national defense -- combined -- even small changes can
save us billions.
I won't detail this morning the way the Health Insurance
Networks I mentioned will save money by helping cut red tape and
paperwork -- the way we'll simplify and speed up claims
processing, or bring the growth in government health programs
under control. But I will say this: If we made the changes I've
talked about, my plan would save nearly 400 billion dollars in
the next four years.
//
9
So today I challenge the Congress: Start with my small
business reforms -- with the package that will mean affordable,
quality health care for millions of Americans who don't have it
now, and pass my plan. And I ask all of you here to join me --
tell the Congress it's time to act. //
You know, when you're President, you get a lot of advice --
from all over the country, from people of all ages. Here's one
example, from a boy named Cory, 11 years old, on what a President
should do when you're fighting with Congress, and you just can't
get things done. Here's the quote: "Meet at the Capitol at
midnight, and check the Constitution to see who's right." //
Well, if it gets things done
maybe it's worth a try. /
I know there are those who say this nation has seen its best
day. They don't know the whole world still believes in America's
magic. They don't see the whole world thinks America is just
another way of saying
...
the future.
Now that the entire world is turning our way -- toward free
government, free markets, less bureaucracy, less red tape and
more competition -- we can't turn back. America will move
forward -- mold the future into a new American century.
We can lift this country to new heights, to new hope. And
we will build the strong, secure America we want to pass on to
our kids. //
Once again, my thanks for this warm Ohio welcome -- and may
God bless the United States of America.
# # #
McGroarty/Walters
September 2, 1992
4:00 p.m.
[health]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: HEALTH CARE
PAINSVILLE, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 5, 1992
9:30 A.M.
[Acknowledgements.] And of course, hats off to our hosts -
- Steve and Gretel Bencic. //
I bring greetings today from your Governor and my good
friend, George Voinovich. This is the first time he's missed out
on Steve and Gretel's cooking since 1966 -- but he's got good
reason today. Governor Voinovich is on a trade mission to South
Korea -- opening new markets for Ohio goods, and creating new
jobs for Ohio workers. //
[[You've all seen Gretel's cake, but you may not know the
story behind it. I don't want to give away her age, but years
-
ago, when Gretel was 2 years old, the war in Europe separated her
from her family. The Red Cross came to Gretel's rescue -- so
today she's returning the favor, to help the people of South
Florida and Louisiana in their moment of need. That's the best
in the American spirit: plenty of heart, always generous, always
ready to help neighbors in need. //]]
And after x-thousand Meals Ready to Eat, we may just airlift
Gretel's cake to Miami to take care of desert. //
[[And I want to salute today the contingents of Ohio's
finest -- Ohio National Guard units XXXX and XXX, on route now to
southern Florida. ]]
2
It's great to be here in Painsville to help open this year's
Oktoberfest. You've got the four basic food groups: pancakes
and syrup / bratwurst and beer. // And not one sprig of
broccoli in sight. //
This festival has always been a celebration of cultures --
but this year, in a very special way, it is a celebration of the
spirit. We've witnessed a world of change. Across Europe,
across continents, from Managua to Moscow, millions of men and
women now celebrate a new birth of freedom. For the people here
today -- people who came to America from the Old Country -- who
prayed for this day to come, the change we've witnessed -- this
change we've worked for -- is a miracle come true.
There are those -- to quote the poet -- who will say that
the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is
nothing but a dream.
And they are right. / It is the American Dream.
Today, our challenge is to bring that spirit home -- home
from the towns your parents and grandparents were born in, to
this new world we call America. To focus this great nation on
the new mission at hand. //
I know the main attraction this morning is pancakes, not
politics. So today I've set aside the standard Labor Day speech.
I want to do something a little different -- I want to take a few
minutes to speak to you about a serious matter, something you
should be thinking about as you go into that voting booth
3
November 3rd: About the way we can change America's health care
system for the better. //
Think about the challenges we face as a nation: Anyone
concerned about America's competitiveness has to see controlling
health care costs as key to a healthy economy. / Think about
the concerns we have as parents: Health care -- for ourselves,
for our kids -- has to top the list. //
Maybe you're worried about what happens to your health care
if you change jobs -- or worse still, if you lose your job.
Maybe you've got a child with a long-term illness. You're
worried that if you leave your job -- even to take a better one -
- you'll lose your health care. [[LETTER FROM CLEVELAND GIRL,
TIFFANY MCNALLY, ON FAMILY'S HEALTH PROBLEMS ]]
//
The one thing this crisis is not about is quality of care.
American health care is first-rate, number one in the world.
Since 1980, average life expectancy in America is up -- infant
mortality is down. Deaths from heart disease are down. Deaths
from stroke -- down. One big reason is the [xx] percent increase
in federal medical research in everything from Alzheimers to
AIDS.
And right now, the vast majority of Americans have
access to this quality care system. But the cost we pay for
health care has skyrocketed. Maybe it won't surprise anyone
who's made a trip to the pharmacy for prescription pills lately -
- but America's annual health care costs have risen from $74
billion dollars in 1970 to $800 billion dollars today. And
still, more than 30 million Americans have no insurance at all.
4
And don't kid yourselves. We all pay for high health care
costs -- more than once. High health costs are a drag on our
economy -- drive up the deficit -- and soak up money we need for
other vital public programs. //
Back in Washington, some of the political pundits say that
health care is a Democratic issue. Well, I don't believe that,
and I'll tell you why: We've got the compassion -- and the
common sense -- to change our system for the better. Health care
reform is a key part of my agenda for economic security. //
I listen to the American people. You want to know you've
got insurance you can count on -- whether you keep your job /
lose your job / or change your job. I don't hear you calling for
higher taxes to finance a government take-over of our hospitals.
You see, I think that government is too big and it spends
too much. Right now, the cost of health care eats up 13 percent
of all the goods and services we produce. The last thing I want
to do is put the government in charge of 13 percent more of the
American economy. //
And yet that's what some people want: To nationalize our
health care system. Put government in control: let government
set prices, let government ration the kind of care people get --
how much, what kind, and when they'll get it. / Go the
government route, and you know what we'll get: A health care
system that combines the efficiency of the House Post Office with
the compassion of the KGB. //
5
You know, that comparison made a few people hot under the
collar. I even got one letter from Russia telling me: "Quit
running down the KGB. //
Nationalize health care, and here's what we're in for: Long
waiting lists for surgery -- shortages of the high-tech equipment
responsible for so many of the miracles of modern medicine. One
example: Right now, the Cleveland Clinic performs 10 coronary
bypass surgeries a day. High tech, high quality surgery --
without any wait. But if you live across Lake Erie in Canada,
the wait for coronary bypass surgery is six months. Need your
tonsils out? Take a number: The waiting list in Canada is 3 and
1/2 months. //
And then there's the cost. According to some studies,
nationalized health care would mean a whopping $250 to $500
billion dollars a year in new taxes. //
But you won't hear about higher taxes from the folks pushing
that scheme. Ask them about the side-effects of their plan, and
they just say: Take two aspirin -- and call me after the
election. //
But there's another proposal out there that's every bit as
harmful to the economy. Maybe you've heard of it -- it's called
"Play or pay,' and here's what it means: Each employer must
"play" -- meaning: provide insurance for employees, or they can
"pay" -- a payroll tax to finance government health coverage.
Well, Play or Pay will leave a lot of small businesses --
businesses that are the heartbeat of this American economy
6
-- with a tough choice: One, cut workers' wages to pay for
mandated health care. Two, fire some workers and use the savings
to cover the rest. Or three: raise prices, and try to pass along
the cost to the consumer. Some reliable studies say a 7 percent
payroll tax will cost this country 700,000 jobs. Higher prices,
lower wages, lost jobs: Any way you look at it -- that's the
wrong prescription for America. //
In the end, "Play or pay" is really no different from
nationalized health care. I'm tempted to call it "pay and pay.'
It invites employers to stop offering health benefits, throw the
problem in the government's lap, and dump millions of working
Americans into a public plan like Medicaid. And because the new
payroll taxes in Play or Pay can't possibly pay for the program -
- you, the American taxpayer, will have to pick up the tab. //
The fact is: We can reform health care without pushing our
economy into intensive care. // We start with these objectives:
a health care system built on choice -- not government control.
One that keeps costs down -- and opens up access. But above all,
a health care system that gives all Americans real security --
security / that if they change jobs, if they or their kids
develop serious health problems, they'll still be able to count
on the coverage they need. //
My plan meets every one of these objectives.
We can start making health care more accessible by making
health insurance more affordable. For low-income individuals and
families, I propose a health insurance credit -- up to $3,750
7
dollars a year to help people buy private health insurance.
Middle-income individuals and families -- all the way up to those
making $80,000 dollars -- will get a health insurance tax
deduction. All told, that's new help to purchase health
insurance for 70 million Americans.
Take a family of two parents with a child: One working
parent -- employed by a company that doesn't provide health
coverage. That family's total income is $10,000 -- low enough to
put them under the poverty line, but high enough to make them
ineligible for Medicaid. / Right now, that family falls through
the cracks -- can't afford any health care coverage at all.
Under my plan, that would change: this family would qualify for
$3750 health care credit -- payable to the health care insurer of
their choice. //
All together, my plan will bring health care coverage to
almost 30 million uninsured Americans -- security to people who,
for far too long, have had to do without. //
And as we open up health care to all Americans, we can cut
runaway costs -- by making the system more efficient. The key is
something we call Health Insurance Networks -- to pool small
businesses that too often can't afford to offer health insurance
to their workers, or worry that one worker's illness or accident
could drive everyone's health insurance through the roof.
Insurance costs obey the "law of large numbers:" The larger
the group being insured, the lower the cost per individual.
Think of it this way: What kind of a deal can you get bargaining
8
with the grocer to buy one box of cereal? Now let's say you got
together with everyone on your street, or better yet everyone in
your town, and then went back to buy cereal? You'd drive a
harder bargain and get a better price. The same thing works for
health care.
We're also going to cut health care costs by wringing out
waste and excess in the present system. That's why we've
targeted malpractice insurance for reform. You shouldn't have to
pay a lawyer when you go to the doctor. Right now, people are
doing just that: High malpractice premiums mean higher doctors'
bills, higher hospital costs -- costs passed along not only to
the patient, but to every American taxpayer. [[Last year alone,
legal costs inflated our doctors bills by XX billion dollars. ]]
Some I know are skeptical -- they think the savings won't
add up. But I can tell you, when each year's health care costs
total more than what we spend on our kids' education and our
country's national defense -- combined -- even small changes can
save us billions.
I won't detail this morning the way the Health Insurance
Networks I mentioned will save money by helping cut red tape and
paperwork -- the way we'll simplify and speed up claims
processing, or bring the growth in government health programs
under control. But I will say this: If we made the changes I've
talked about, my plan would save nearly 400 billion dollars in
the next four years. //
9
So today I challenge the Congress: Start with my small
business reforms -- with the package that will mean affordable,
quality health care for millions of Americans who don't have it
now, and pass my plan. And I ask all of you here to join me --
tell the Congress it's time to act. //
You know, when you're President, you get a lot of advice --
from all over the country, from people of all ages. Here's one
example, from a boy named Cory, 11 years old, on what a President
should do when you're fighting with Congress, and you just can't
get things done. Here's the quote: "Meet at the Capitol at
midnight, and check the Constitution to see who's right." //
Well, if it gets things done
...
maybe it's worth a try. /
I know there are those who say this nation has seen its best
day. They don't know the whole world still believes in America's
magic. They don't see the whole world thinks America is just
another way of saying
...
the future.
Now that the entire world is turning our way -- toward free
government, free markets, less bureaucracy, less red tape and
more competition -- we can't turn back. America will move
forward -- mold the future into a new American century.
We can lift this country to new heights, to new hope. And
we will build the strong, secure America we want to pass on to
our kids. //
Once again, my thanks for this warm Ohio welcome -- and may
God bless the United States of America.
# # #