[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[February 11, 2005]
[Pages 222-225]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Michael O. Leavitt as Secretary of Health and Human Services
February 11, 2005
The President. Good morning. I'm proud to visit this fine Department
and to congratulate my friend Michael Leavitt on becoming America's 20th
Secretary of Health and Human Services. Congratulations.
Secretary Leavitt. Thank you, Mr. President.
The President. I know this is a particularly special day for Mike--
after all, it's his 54th birthday. [Laughter] And it's always a special
day for him when his family members are here. He loves his family. He's
got a great wife named Jackie;
Westin is
here representing his brothers and sisters; his
dad's first name is Dixie--kind of sounds
like he should be from Texas. [Laughter] Appreciate the other members of
the Leavitt family who are here.
I want to thank Senator Bob Bennett from
the great State of Utah for joining us, and Congressman Ralph
Regula for being here. I appreciate you both
coming. I want to thank other members of my Cabinet and administration
who have joined us. I particularly want to thank the men and women of
Health and Human Services for your hard work and remind you that you're
serving during a critical time for America's health and well-being.
Thanks to Secretary Tommy Thompson's
superb leadership, HHS has helped our medical community prepare for a
new era in public health. You've made groundbreaking progress toward new
cures for disability and disease. You've led a bold initiative to win
the global fight against HIV/AIDS. The good work of this Department is
making America healthier and more hopeful, and I thank each of you for
your commitment and your compassion.
As Secretary Leavitt begins his service, HHS is embarking on a set
of new challenges and historic opportunities. One of your most important
responsibilities will be implementing the Medicare Modernization Act,
which I signed some 14 months ago.
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This law is a landmark achievement in American health care, and millions
of older Americans are already benefiting from its reforms.
Because we acted, Medicare now covers preventive medicine, including
screenings for heart disease and diabetes, and a ``Welcome to Medicare''
physical. Instead of waiting to get sick or facing costly treatments,
seniors can now identify problems early and manage them before they grow
worse. By reducing major surgeries and longtime hospital stays,
preventive medicine will save money, and more importantly, it will
extend the lives of our seniors.
Because we acted, Medicare will also cover prescription drugs. Under
the old system, Medicare would pay $28,000 for ulcer surgery but not the
$500 a year for the prescription drugs that eliminated the cause of most
ulcers. That system didn't make any sense. It made no sense for our
seniors. It made no sense for American taxpayers.
Because prescription drugs are expensive, many seniors face the
terrible choice between buying groceries and buying medicine. We left
those days behind with the Medicare Modernization Act. Low-income
seniors can get up to $600 to buy medicine this year. Next January,
every senior in Medicare will have the option of a prescription drug
benefit. And so that all seniors can get the care they need, low-income
seniors will get extra assistance and will pay a reduced premium or no
premiums at all on prescription drugs.
Because we acted, seniors in Medicare will have more control over
their health care. Seniors will be able to choose a health plan that
meets their needs, and health plans will compete for their business,
which will lower costs throughout the program. The system probably
sounds familiar to some here--[laughter]--after all, it's what we offer
Federal employees. If choosing your health plan is good enough for the
Federal employees, it's good enough for America's seniors as well.
Putting these reforms into action will be challenging. But with the
leadership of Secretary Leavitt and Administrator McClellan, I know you're up to the task. We all know the
alternative to reform, a Medicare system that offers outdated benefits
and imposes needless costs. For decades, we promised America's seniors
that we can do better, and we finally did. Now we must keep our word. I
signed Medicare reform proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of
our seniors and to take away their prescription drug coverage under
Medicare will meet my veto.
Secretary Leavitt will also lead important reforms in the Medicaid
program. He will work closely with the Governors to make Medicaid more
fair and more flexible. And together, we will take new steps to ensure
that Medicaid fully serves our most vulnerable citizens, especially our
children. Both Medicare and the State Children's Health Insurance
Program--it's what's called SCHIP--offer preventive care to low-income
families at little or no cost. Yet millions of eligible American
children are not signed up. So I proposed a billion dollar effort called
``Cover the Kids'' to help States and community groups and faith-based
charities enroll more children in Medicaid and SCHIP. We must not allow
a lack of attention or a lack of information to stand between these
children and the health care they need.
To reinforce America's health safety net, we are also increasing
support for community health centers. These compassionate facilities
meet a critical need by providing primary care to the poor and the
uninsured. They also take the pressure off of our emergency rooms and
our hospitals. When I took office, I pledged to open or expand 1,200
community health centers by 2006. Thanks to the hard work of this
Department, we've opened or expanded 619 centers so far, and we're on
track to meet our objective by the end of next year. Now Secretary
Leavitt and I are working toward a new goal: We will ensure that every
poor
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county in America has a community health center.
As we deliver quality health care to those in need, we must also
help more adults find private health insurance at their jobs. More than
half of all the uninsured Americans are small-business employees and
their families. To help these people get good coverage, I have asked
Congress to allow small businesses to pool together to buy insurance at
the same discounts that big companies get. I've proposed tax credits for
small businesses and low-income workers that would allow more people to
open tax-free health savings accounts. To reduce health care costs and
prevent medical errors, we're working to expand the use of information
technology in health care. And to make health care more affordable for
every doctor, patient, and entrepreneur, Congress needs to pass medical
liability reform this year.
At HHS you bring the hope of better health to millions of your
fellow citizens, and you do much more. HHS promotes adoption and
abstinence and preschool education and leads our efforts to stop drug
abuse and domestic violence. Secretary Thompson has called this ``America's Department of Compassion,''
and I know Secretary Leavitt sees it the same way.
Many of your greatest allies in the armies of compassion are found
in faith-based and community groups. With Secretary Leavitt's
leadership, we'll continue to support the hopeful works of these caring
citizens. We'll also work with Congress to reauthorize welfare reforms
that require work and strengthen marriage and promote responsible
fatherhood. We'll continue the life-saving work of combating HIV/AIDS at
home and abroad.
As you fulfill all these duties, HHS is also meeting the needs of a
nation at war. Researchers at NIH and the Centers for Disease Control
are on the frontlines of defending America against the threat of
bioterror. FDA inspectors are expanding efforts to secure the food
supply and ensure the safety of medicine. We've completed the doubling
of funding for medical research at NIH. Yet spending is not our only
measure of success. When we commit taxpayer dollars, we will insist on
results in return. And in every scientific pursuit, we will uphold the
values of freedom, equality, and human dignity. We must never sanction
the creation of life only to destroy it.
With this new responsibility, HHS Secretary Leavitt continues a
distinguished career of public service. I've known him as a Governor.
We're members of the ex-Governor's club. [Laughter] I've known him as
the Administrator of the EPA. I've witnessed his integrity and
creativity and compassion. He has a proven ability to move beyond the
partisan debate, to work with leaders at all levels of government, and
to improve the lives of the people he serves. That is what I've asked
Mike to do as America's Secretary of Health and Human Services. With
your help, I know he will succeed.
Congratulations.
Note: The President spoke at 10:45 a.m. in the Great Hall at the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The transcript released by the
Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary
Leavitt.
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