The White House
Health Care Reform Today
October 26, 1993
- Tomorrow, President Clinton will send to Capitol
Hill the a comprehensive health reform package that
guarantees health security that can never be taken away.
This legislative package is the result of hours of
consultation with members of Congress and the health
care community....Democrats and Republicans alike.
We're proud of the effort and believe this puts our
country on the road to serious health care reform. We
look forward to continuing to work together with those
who believe in health security for all, continuing to
provide a choice in plans and doctors, high-quality
medical care, simplifying the health care system,
providing savings and making sure that everyone takes
responsibility for providing health care.
- Yesterday, Senators Phil Gramm and John McCain went
on a "bash the President's health care plan" tour paid
for by the NRSC with a stop in Boston. While
participating in this political trip, they did make one
claim we agree with....that health care reform does not
require a huge new bureaucracy. That's why we point out
an editorial from the October 14th Sacramento Bee. They
wrote: "To some East Coast critics of President'
Clinton's health-care reform, the regional health
alliances he proposes look like another bureaucratic
layer on the health-care system. But here in
California, some real-world experience with pooled
health purchasing suggests that alliances can achieve
savings for consumers without being big or
bureaucratic." Under the President's plan, the
alliances have been simplified and streamlined to
provide the lowest possible costs.
- Today, Kaiser Permanete will unveil a new quality
report card. The Kaiser project has developed measures
that can provide meaningful information on the quality
of care to both purchasers and provides of insurance
coverage. This is a big step in the right direction and
is similar the President's call for providing more
information to consumers. Under the President's Health
Security plan, consumers will receive quality report
cards that provide information on patient satisfaction
and the performance of health plans, doctors and
hospitals. It will include a listing of participating
providers, their specialties and where their offices are
located. Providing easy-to-understand, comparative
information on the quality of care will help consumers
pick the health plans that are best for them. These
steps will enable health plans and providers to evaluate
and improve the quality of their care and aid in the
assessment of quality in the system as a whole.