    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [July 14, 2001]
    [Pages 850-851]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 850]]

    The President's Radio Address
    July 14, 2001

        Good morning. This week in Washington, we have turned our attention
    to the goal of better health care for all Americans. I have asked
    Congress to send me a strong Patients' Bill of Rights, one that provides
    immediate access to specialists and an immediate appeal to a panel of
    doctors when an HMO denies care. I hope to sign a bill that gets people
    help when they need it, not a bill adding hundreds of dollars to the
    high premiums they already pay.
        I am also asking Congress to join me in modernizing and
    strengthening Medicare. All of us, young and old, have a stake in the
    outcome of this discussion. From its beginning 36 years ago, Medicare
    has represented a basic binding commitment to our seniors. That
    commitment will always stand. And as medicine advances and the needs of
    our seniors change, Medicare must advance and improve as well.
        The most pressing challenge is the lack of coverage for prescription
    drugs. To begin solving this problem, I am proposing a new national drug
    discount program for seniors. This is a straightforward, nonbureaucratic
    program which can be in place by January. Everyone in Medicare will be
    eligible for a drug discount card, costing no more than a dollar or 2
    per month. Present this card at a participating pharmacy, and you will
    receive a substantial discount--at least 10 percent. It's as simple as
    that, and it's convenient as well.
        This program will provide immediate help to seniors without
    destabilizing Medicare's finances. Yet, my prescription drug plan is
    only a first step. We need broader reform to bring Medicare into the
    21st century. We need to expand coverage, improve services, strengthen
    Medicare financing, and give seniors more control over the health care
    they receive. And as Congress takes up legislation, they should be
    guided by some basic principles.
        First, for everyone in retirement or near retirement, any changes in
    their Medicare coverage should be up to them. No senior should have to
    accept something different if they like Medicare just the way it is.
        Second, all seniors should be offered a range of new Medicare plans,
    both Government and private. Every plan offered to seniors should have
    at least the same benefits as the Government plan. And all plans must
    offer prescription drug coverage.
        Third, everyone enrolled in Medicare should have the power to choose
    which plan works best for him or her. The plans will compete with each
    other, forcing them to offer better service, extra benefits, and lower
    premiums.
        Fourth, reform must provide special help to seniors with low incomes
    and unusually high medical costs. We must put caps on the amount any
    senior can be asked to pay in a year. And since the reformed Medicare
    will cover prescription drugs, low income seniors will no longer have to
    pay for costly Medigap insurance.
        And finally, we must strengthen Medicare's finances and make sure
    that the benefits promised to our seniors will be always there.
        Medicine in America is constantly improving, and Medicare must
    improve at the same pace. By these principles, we can assure that
    Medicare will always offer seniors the care they need with the quality
    they deserve.
        Thank you very much for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 11:21 a.m. on July 13 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on July 14. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    July 13 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of
    the Press Secretary

    [[Page 851]]

    also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.