    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [September 18, 1993]
    [Pages 1533-1535]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 18, 1993

        Good morning. This week we've seen inspiring examples of people
    reaching across their differences, having the courage to change, to
    achieve what is best for everyone.
        On Monday, I had the great honor of hosting Israeli Prime Minister
    Rabin and PLO Chairman Arafat for the signing of the historic peace
    agreement between two peoples who have been engaged in a century of
    bitter conflict. Their unforgettable handshake holds the hope of a
    normal and more secure life for Israelis and Palestinians. And with
    American leadership we can build on this historic agreement to promote
    peace throughout the region and beyond.
        On Tuesday, I signed agreements strengthening the North American
    Free Trade Agreement protecting labor and environmental standards in
    Mexico, Canada, and the United States. I was joined by former Presidents
    from both parties: President Bush, President Carter, and President

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    Ford. We stood together because NAFTA will create jobs here in the
    United States, 200,000 jobs by 1995.
        This week, Americans began a new chapter in our national discussion
    about one of our greatest challenges, how to preserve what's right and
    fix what's wrong with our health care system. In the Rose Garden on
    Thursday, the First Lady and I and Vice President and Tipper Gore met
    with a few of the people from all across America who had written to us
    about their experiences with health care and their growing insecurity.
        Nine months ago, when I asked Americans to send us their thoughts
    about health care, I had no idea we would receive over 700,000 letters.
    If you read some of those letters, as I have, the picture becomes clear:
    Even the millions of Americans who enjoy good health care coverage today
    are concerned that it won't be there for them next month or next year.
    Their stories make me even more determined than ever to provide health
    security to every American.
        On Thursday morning, I spoke with Mabel Piley from Iola, Kansas. She
    and her husband own a small garden shop. After they each had minor
    surgery, their insurance premiums more than tripled in 4 years, until
    they hit $900 a month. They finally had to drop the coverage. Since then
    they found new coverage but with a $2,500 annual deductible. She told
    me, ``My concern now is for my children and grandchildren. I sincerely
    hope our Government can do something about this runaway nightmare of a
    problem.''
        And I heard a heartbreaking story from Margie Silverman of Miami,
    about her 28-year-old daughter who lives in California. Last year, her
    daughter had a serious operation. And now, at a time when her daughter
    needs to be with her family, she can't move back home. That's because
    she's insured through a company that doesn't operate in Florida. And no
    other company will cover her because of her preexisting condition.
        These problems and many others like them affect us as Americans, not
    as Democrats or Republicans, and frankly, not as people who consume
    health care and those who provide it. I talked to doctors and nurses
    today who are heartsick at the burden of unnecessary paperwork. At the
    Children's Hospital here in Washington, the doctors told me that $2
    million a year is spent on paperwork that has nothing to do with caring
    for patients, that the average doctor has to give up the chance to see
    500 more patients a year just to fill out forms.
        I know we can work together, across the lines of partisanship, to
    solve these problems and find an American answer to this American
    challenge.
        On Wednesday night, when I speak before a joint session of Congress,
    I will ask the Congress to provide every American with comprehensive
    health care benefits that cannot be taken away. I'll ask Congress to
    work with me to reduce costs, increase choices, improve quality, cut
    paperwork, and keep our health care the finest in the world. And I'll
    ask members of both parties to work together for this important purpose.
        We have to work together because there is so much that is good about
    American medicine that we must preserve. We have the best doctors and
    nurses, the finest hospitals, the most advanced research, the most
    sophisticated technology in the world. We cherish this as Americans, and
    we'll never give them up, nor will we give up our right to choose our
    doctors, our hospitals, and our medical treatments. That is especially
    true for older Americans, who've worked their whole lives and deserve
    this security. I want to say to those older Americans listening today:
    Our plan offers you more peace of mind.
        First--and this is something I feel strongly about--we will maintain
    the Medicare program. If you're happy with Medicare, you can stay in it.
    And we're going to increase your choices and give you the chance to join
    a less expensive plan, but it'll be your choice. We're also going to
    maintain your right to choose your own doctor, and you'll continue to
    get the benefits you get now.
        Second, we must do something about the human tragedy of older
    Americans who are forced to choose, literally choose every week between
    medicine and food or housing. Prescription drugs, currently the largest
    out-of-pocket expense for older Americans, will be covered under this
    proposal.
        Third, our initiative will expand services for older Americans with
    serious illnesses or disabilities. Today, about 75 percent of elderly
    Americans with serious illness receive care from their families. But
    often these families can't afford the services they really need. Now,
    for the first time, all older Americans with serious impair-

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    ments will be eligible for care in their homes or in community-based
    settings that they choose. This will help them be near their families
    while receiving the care they need.
        Finally, this initiative will offer tax incentives that will make
    private insurance more affordable for older Americans seeking coverage
    for long-term care.
        Sixty years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, America
    provided Social Security for all Americans so that a lifetime of work
    would be rewarded by a dignified retirement. Now it's time to provide
    health security for all Americans so that people who work hard and take
    responsibility for their own lives can enjoy the peace of mind they
    deserve. To reach this goal, I want to work with everyone, doctors and
    patients, business and labor, Republicans and Democrats. At a time when
    the world is filled with new hope and possibility, let's work together
    for a great goal worthy of our great Nation.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 6:04 p.m. on September 17 in the
    Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    September 18.