[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 38 (Monday, September 27, 1993)]
[Pages 1835-1836]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Congressional Leaders and an Exchange 
With Reporters

 September 22, 1993

    The President. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to say, in the presence 
here of the press, this is the last meeting I will have a chance to have 
with the large bipartisan leadership in Congress on health care issues. 
But I do want to say a profound word of thanks on behalf of not only 
myself but the entire administration for the work that has been done by 
people in both parties in the Congress since the first bipartisan 
leadership meeting I had on January 26th, when I asked that people be 
designated to work with us from both parties on this health care issue.
    I'm not sure that any consultative process like this has ever been 
carried out before where there's been so much common work, not only 
between and among ourselves but also with people in the country who are 
interested in this issue. We have met with over 1,100 groups, with 
literally thousands of doctors, nurses, and other affected folks in this 
process. But the most important thing to me has been the spirit of 
genuine searching and determination that I have seen from leaders in 
both parties on this issue.
    I just want to say, as I prepare to give this speech tonight, how 
much I appreciate that and how much I look forward to continuing that 
process in the weeks and months ahead. I'm very grateful to you, and 
we're going to talk for about an hour here, and then the Senate has to 
go make a vote, I think. But we're going to have a chance to talk about 
health care one more time before I speak tonight.

Health Care Reform

    Q. Mr. President, you're about to start something tonight that has 
been tried and

[[Page 1836]]

failed several times in recent years. Why is this----
    The President. Throughout the whole century.
    Q. Throughout the whole century. Why is this different?
    The President. Well, I think, you know, if you go back and look at 
the history of health care, I think there are two things that are 
different. One is, there is almost unanimous consensus that the cost of 
continuing on the present course is greater than the cost of change. 
With health care costs rising at more than twice the rate of inflation 
and rising much faster than that for small businesses, with more people 
losing their coverage every month so that we're paying more for less 
health care, with the range of choices available for Americans dropping 
dramatically and the administrative cost to the system escalating at a 
breathtaking rate, that the cost of going on is greater than the cost of 
change. I don't think that there has ever been that much consensus 
before.
    The second thing is, I think you've got all of the people trying to 
work together now. If you go back through the whole history of the 20th 
century, you can find times when Republicans wanted to do something 
about health care and Democrats didn't, some when Presidents wanted to 
do something and the Congress didn't. There's one example when, early in 
this century, when the American Medical Association wanted to have a 
national health care bill and the labor movement didn't.
    I mean, these things have been flip-flopped. If you read the history 
of health care, it's like people, you know, passing each other in the 
night. And I think now you've finally got everybody in the country 
focused on it. So I think we have a moment in history when we can seize 
it and move forward if we can maintain this determination to stay in 
touch with the real problems of our people and with this sort of spirit 
that we have now of working together.

Taxes

    Q. Can you tell us what the sin taxes are going to be for people to 
help pay for this?
    The President. Tonight.
    Q. [Inaudible]--tell us tonight--[inaudible]--an hour and a half.
    Q. Are you purposely avoiding that topic today?
    The President. No, no. Lord, no.
    Q. Are you concerned about the story tomorrow----
    The President. No. There will be less than you think, I'll say that.

Russia

    Q. Mr. President, do you have anything on the situation in Russia? 
Are you more reassured now than yesterday?
    The President. Well, the situation is calm, and I am hopeful. You 
know what my position is on it, and I still think the United States has 
to be on the side of reform and democracy in Russia, and President 
Yeltsin represents that. But I know nothing more today than I knew last 
night when we talked, except that I've obviously gotten my morning 
briefing, and the situation is calm, and we're hopeful.
    Q. Are you trying to contact world leaders, sir, to encourage them 
to come out in support of him as well?
    The President. I called Mr. Kohl last night, and we communicated in 
other ways with Prime Minister Major and President Mitterrand, Prime 
Minister Balladur in France, and others. I noted that Prime Minister 
Major came out today in support, and I know Chancellor Kohl issued a 
statement yesterday. So I very much appreciate that.

Note: The President spoke at 11 a.m. in the State Dining Room at the 
White House.