[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 32 (Monday, August 13, 2001)]
[Pages 1141-1142]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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. In his 
address, the President referred to Gov. George E. Pataki of New York. 
The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary 
on August 3 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.

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