[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 6 (Monday, February 14, 2005)]
[Pages 227-230]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 228]]

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. 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

[[Page 229]]

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 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 lifesaving 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 
Department of Health and Human Services. The transcript released by the 
Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary 
Leavitt.

[[Page 230]]