[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[August 4, 2001]
[Pages 943-944]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
August 4, 2001

    Good morning. This week in Washington we made dramatic progress on 
health care, and today I want to extend that progress one step further.
    On Wednesday I shook hands with Representative Charlie 
Norwood of Georgia, agreeing to strong 
patient protection legislation. Representative Norwood is the chief 
congressional champion of that issue. And

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together, we broke 6 years of legislative gridlock.
    The next day the House of Representatives, based on our agreement, 
passed a good bill to give patients the care they deserve without 
encouraging frivolous lawsuits. The legislation protects every patient 
in all 50 States when a health plan wrongly denies or delays needed 
care. Patients are guaranteed a quick independent review of their case 
and new Federal remedies to hold their health plans accountable. They 
get a strong new set of rights in our health care system without driving 
up the cost of health insurance and discouraging employers from offering 
coverage.
    This legislation is welcome news for patients. And I want to 
continue this momentum. Today I'm announcing a new initiative to expand 
health insurance for the uninsured by making the Medicaid program more 
accessible. Medicaid is designed to provide low-income Americans with 
medical insurance. It has a noble purpose and some serious challenges.
    Medicaid spending is rising dramatically, but the number of low 
income Americans without insurance remains high. Clearly, this important 
program needs reform. Yet, States have great difficulty reforming their 
Medicaid programs because of complex and cumbersome Federal 
requirements. It is hard for States--much too hard--to navigate the 
confusing and inconsistent Federal approval process.
    Today we are changing that. My administration will adopt new rules 
that empower States to propose reforms tailored to the needs of their 
citizens. We will act on proposals quickly without making States wait 
for months or years for an answer.
    In return for this flexibility, we will ask the States to help 
ensure that their programs broaden coverage for low-income Americans. 
When States are free to try new approaches, the results are encouraging. 
Just a few months ago, New York State, led by George Pataki, asked for and got permission to try a new idea to 
cover more people with the same dollars. As a result, as many as 619,000 
more New Yorkers will soon have health insurance.
    In our new system, we will inform States in advance of the criteria 
for responsible Medicaid reform. If they meet those conditions, the 
Federal Government stands ready to help expand health insurance coverage 
to those who need it most--no uncertainty and no runaround.
    The goals of Medicaid are too important to get bogged down in a 
bureaucracy. My administration cares about results, about getting 
Americans broader and better medical coverage. And on issues from 
Medicaid to patient protection, we are seeing results for the American 
people.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 10:55 a.m. on August 3 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 4. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
August 3 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
remarks, the President referred to Gov. George E. Pataki of New York. 
The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.