[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[March 21, 2001]
[Pages 270-274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the American College of Cardiology Convention in Orlando,
Florida
March 21, 2001
Thank you all. Thank you very much. George, thank you very much for your kind introduction. Doctor.
Doctor. [Laughter] I'm honored to be here, and it's an honor to be your
President.
I thought about inviting Vice President Cheney to travel with me today. [Laughter] He said he's seen
enough cardiologists lately. [Laughter] I'm pleased to report that he's
feeling great, and you'll be happy to know that when it comes to
following doctor's orders, he's a model patient.
I appreciate so very much the leadership of this august organization
having me here, and I appreciate the fact that they invited my bigger
little brother. [Laughter] I can't tell you how
proud I am of Jeb. He is a really fine Governor of this important State.
I'm also pleased to be traveling with Members of the United States
Congress from the State of Florida, John Mica,
Ric Keller, and Dave Weldon. Thank you all for coming with me. Weldon informed me
he's a doctor. He's representing your interests in the Halls of
Congress.
And today we're in the hometown of the new Secretary of Housing, Mel
Martinez.
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I'm proud that Mel is the first Cuban American to serve in a President's
Cabinet. Mr. Secretary, welcome home, but don't stay too long.
[Laughter] You're going back to Washington with me; we've got a lot of
work to do.
You know, I haven't been in front of so many people who poke and
prod and examine since my last press conference. [Laughter] And I
appreciate the chance to visit with so many distinguished doctors and
their families. So many Americans live longer, healthier, and happier
lives because of the important work you all do every single day. And I'm
glad to have an opportunity to thank you in person.
Modern medicine continues to bring a revolution of hope and dignity
into countless lives. The average life* expectancy in America today is
29 years longer than it was just a century ago. And those added years
now have added vigor. Many forms of cancer, once incurable, are
routinely treated and often cured. Diseases that grow more common with
age, such as arthritis and osteoporosis, can be less debilitating than
they once were. And heart disease, though still the leading cause of
death in America for both men and women, is claiming fewer lives than
ever before. Just 40 years ago, when patients were diagnosed with
serious heart disease, treatment meant putting them in a hospital bed
and trying to make them comfortable. Today, thanks to new surgeries,
devices, and drugs, and thanks to doctors and researchers behind them,
millions of Americans with heart disease live vigorous, productive
lives. And Dick Cheney serves his country
as Vice President of the United States.
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*White House correction.
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This ongoing revolution in medicine is centered in America, and for
good reason: Medical advances depend on innovation, and innovation
depends on freedom. America has wisely resisted efforts to place
medicine and health care into the hands of central planners. Government-
controlled health care may spring from the best of motives, but a
cumbersome bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all approach stifle innovation
and do not produce the best of results. There is an appropriate role for
Government in funding medical research, protecting consumers, and
providing health care for our senior citizens.
Our health care system is strong, and it can be stronger. And as we
improve and reform it, we must always respect the freedom that makes
America's health care system the best in the world.
This year we have a real opportunity to improve health care. Today I
want to talk about protecting the doctor-patient relationships with a
Patients' Bill of Rights. But first, I can't resist putting in a plug
for my budget and for tax relief.
My budget funds our Nation's important priorities, including many
health care priorities. We increase funding for education and for
military pay and benefits. We set aside $2.6 trillion of payroll taxes
over the next 10 years for Social Security and for only Social Security.
We double funding for Medicare over the next 10 years and make sure that
every dime that comes in for Medicare is spent only on Medicare.
And as you know better than most, Medicare urgently needs reform. At
a time when prescription drugs are often the treatment of choice for
heart disease and many other illnesses, 99 percent of employer-provided
health care plans offer some form of prescription drug coverage; yet,
Medicare does not. Often, Medicare does not cover new treatments and
innovative technologies. The Medicare bureaucracy is rigid and difficult
and too often treats doctors as if you have nothing better to do than
fill out forms. To offer our seniors better coverage and better health
care, Medicare needs new life and new vitality.
One of the leaders in the effort to modernize Medicare is a heart
surgeon, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee. He's
joined with Democrat Senator John Breaux and
Republican Congressman Bill Thomas to set
out
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a framework for reform. And I'm committed to working with Congress to
reform Medicare and to make sure that every senior has access to
affordable prescription drug coverage.
My budget also proposes refundable tax credits to make health
insurance more affordable for working families. I propose making it
easier for small businesses to join together so that they can purchase
better and more affordable health coverage for their workers. And we
increase funding for community and migrant health centers, so that over
the next 5 years we double the number of people served at community
centers in rural and low-income neighborhoods.
I've also asked Congress to increase funding for medical research,
which gives hope to many who struggle with serious disease. My budget
for next year requests an additional $2.8 billion for the National
Institutes of Health, an important step toward our goal of doubling the
budget for the NIH by the year 2003.
We've increased discretionary spending by 4 percent, greater than
the rate of inflation. And after we fund important priorities in the
ongoing operations of our Government, I believe we ought to pay down
national debt. And so my budget pays down a record 2 trillion in debt
over the next 10 years. And that sets up a $1 trillion contingency fund
for emergencies or additional expenses. After funding priorities, after
paying down debt, after setting up a contingency fund, we still have
money left over.
And the fundamental question is, what do we do with it? Well, some
in Congress want to spend it. They want to increase the size and scope
of the Federal Government. That's not my vision. You see, I understand
the surplus is not the Government's money; the surplus is the people's
money. And I believe after meeting priorities, we need to send it back
to the people who earned it in the first place. Not only are we not
going to send it back; we don't need to take it in the first place.
This debate in Washington has moved beyond whether we should have
tax relief, to how much it should be and who should get it. Now, to put
it bluntly, some folks in Washington think all of the doctors in this
room make too much money, and you shouldn't get any of your money back.
That's a fact. I know you've worked hard to get to where you are. You
spent long hours in training and school. You do important, life-saving
work. You also pay a lot of taxes. And I think everybody, everyone who
pay taxes, from the schoolteacher to the truck driver to the doctor,
should get tax relief.
Be wary of those who talk about targeted tax cuts in Washington,
those who want to pick the winners and losers. That's not my vision for
Government. I don't believe the Government is to try to pick winners and
losers in the Tax Code. The only fair way to do it is to say, ``If you
pay taxes, you ought to get relief.''
My plan helps those at the bottom end of the economic scale. It
lowers the rate to 10 percent and doubles the child credit. In fact, the
greatest percentage benefits in my plan go to those at the lowest end of
the economic ladder. But my plan also drops the top rate from 39.6 to 33
percent, because I believe on principle that nobody in America, nobody
in this room, should pay more than a third of his or her income to the
Federal Government.
I hope you'll join me in making the case to Congress to enact a
fiscally responsible budget and provide meaningful tax relief. It is
necessary, and we can afford it. Don't be afraid of contacting a Senator
of yours or a Member of the Congress. I'm sure they'd like to hear from
you. [Laughter]
And there is another issue I hope you'll join me on, persuading
those very same Members of both parties to work together to pass a
comprehensive and meaningful Patients' Bill of Rights. I'm very familiar
with this issue. When I was Governor of
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Texas, I had to veto a bad patients' bill of rights, and then I signed
some good ones. First, I was presented a bill that gave special interest
treatment to selected HMO's. So I vetoed it and then worked with our
insurance commissioner to write new patient protections that I proudly
signed into law the next legislative session. I don't want that to
happen again. This time I hope we can get it right the first time.
Doctors and their patients should be in charge of medical decisions.
I want to sign a Patients' Bill of Rights this year, but I will not sign
a bad one. And I cannot sign any one that is now before the Congress. So
enacting a Patients' Bill of Rights this year is going to require some
different thinking, a new approach, based on sound principles.
First, a Federal Patients' Bill of Rights must cover everyone, all
patients in all private health plans. The standard should be strong
enough to protect everyone, yet flexible enough to preserve the good
work that has already been done in many States.
Second, we must guarantee all patients important rights: the right
to get emergency treatment at the nearest emergency room; the right to
see a specialist when they need one--say, just for an example, the right
to see a cardiologist for a heart problem. Women should be able to visit
their gynecologist, and parents their children's pediatrician, without
going through a gatekeeper. All patients should have the right to
participate in potentially life-saving clinical trials when standard
treatment is not effective.
Third, if medical care is denied, patients should have the right to
a fair and immediate review. People want health care quickly. They don't
want to have to go through a legal, lengthy process to get it. I want to
sign a bill that protects patients' rights with a strong, binding,
independent review process. If your health plan denies you care, you
should be able to appeal immediately to an independent, impartial review
panel of medical doctors. And if they say you need the care, your health
care plan must provide it. An effective medical review is the key to
protecting patients' rights and the key to maintaining the doctor-
patient relationship you work so hard to develop and preserve.
Fourth, a Patients' Bill of Rights should offer patients who have
been harmed a meaningful remedy without inviting frivolous lawsuits.
After independent review, if you have been harmed by your HMO's refusal
to provide care, you have a legitimate complaint, and you should have
recourse in court. With a strong, independent review process, most
disagreements should not wind up in court. Our Federal legislation must
allow the review process to work, not short-circuit it by inviting
unnecessary lawsuits. With strong independent review, doctors make
medical decisions, not the lawyers.
The fifth guideline for a Patients' Bill of Rights ensures that
Americans will have access to affordable health care coverage. I want to
sign protections that improve medical care, not make it impossible for
patients to afford it or employers to provide coverage. Excess and
frivolous litigation does harm to our health care system. It clogs the
courts and consumes time and money. It undermines the trust between
doctor and patient. It drives up insurance premiums for everyone.
We've enacted civil justice reforms in Texas to guard against
frivolous litigation and excessive awards. To make sure health care
coverage remains affordable, I will insist any Federal bill have
reasonable caps on damage awards. And the caps in proposed legislation
before Congress are too high and will drive up the costs of health care
in America.
To encourage employers to continue to provide health care insurance
for their employees, we must protect them from unnecessary litigation.
Some proposals now before Congress fail to adequately address this
problem and would even make it worse. Employers who decide up front they
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will not make medical decisions should not be required to go to court
all the time to prove they were not involved in those decisions. And I
will not support a Federal law that subjects employers to new multiple
lawsuits in 50 different States.
With these principles as our guide, I believe we can enact a
Patients' Bill of Rights in the Congress this year. This issue has been
debated in Washington time and time again. Over the years, alliances
have been formed, and divisions have deepened. I hope Members of
Congress will join me in advancing this debate beyond the arguments of
the past.
Just as doctors no longer treat heart disease with bed rest, we
should not approach this year's Patients' Bill of Rights stuck in last
year's rut. Just as innovative approaches in medicine spur new
breakthroughs, a new approach in Washington offers the hope that we will
share the credit for success. Americans deserve comprehensive patient
protections, and a new, commonsense approach may be just what the doctor
ordered.
On this issue, the rewards are far greater than shared political
success. The real reward will be knowing that we have helped put the
healing powers of modern medicine within the reach of all who need them.
Each of you holds that incredible power and upholds a great trust.
I appreciate the important work you do. You have my gratitude and my
respect. And in the days ahead, I hope my plans for reform will have
your support. Thank you for having me.
God bless. God bless America. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:24 a.m. in the Orange County Convention
Center. In his remarks, he referred to George A. Beller, immediate past
president, American College of Cardiology; and Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida.