[THIS IS THE PERIODIC BRIEFING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO ITS OFFICIALS AND OTHER SUPPORTERS OF ITS HEALTH-REFORM PROGRAM. IT PROVIDES AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW THE ADMINISTRATION IS PROMOTING ITS PLAN. THIS ITEM WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME SUBJECT LINE (WITH DIFFERENT DATES) SO YOU CAN EASILY SKIP IT IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ IT. -- Steve Freedkin , LIST.HEALTHPLAN Administrator] The White House Health Care Reform Today January 26, 1994 * THE BOTTOM LINE: That's the key to remember this morning. The President sent a very strong message to Congress. "... if you send me legislation that does not guarantee every American private health insurance that can never be taken away, you will force me to take this pen, veto the legislation, and we'll come right back here and start all over again." * THERE IS A CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE: The facts clearly support that: For those who say there isn't, the President said: "Tell it to the 58 million Americans who have no coverage at all for some time each year. Tell it to the 81 million Americans with those preexisting conditions; those folks are paying more or they can't get insurance at all or they can't ever change their jobs because they or someone in their family has one of those preexisting conditions. Tell it to the small businesses burdened by skyrocketing costs of insurance. Or tell it to the 76 percent of insured Americans, three out of four whose policies have lifetime limits, and that means they can find themselves without any coverage at all just when they need it the most." "So, if any of you believe there's no crisis, you tell it to those people, because I can't." * COURAGE: As those who have vested financial interests in protecting the status quo take to the airwaves and to the newspapers in the coming days, it is important to remember what the President said last night about this effort and past efforts to pass health care reform: "Every time the special interests were powerful enough to defeat them, but not this time." * Today, you have the opportunity to strongly reinforce that the President's approach builds on what works today in the private sector. It expands the employer-based system to guarantee private insurance for every American. It includes health insurance with comprehensive benefits covering preventive care and prescription drugs; one simple form for patients; the freedom to choose a health plan and your own doctor. * The chart Senator Dole used last night in his response looked a little like the New York City subway system, but nothing like the President's health plan. The opponents of change can take any initiative -- including their own --- and make up all sorts of boxes to try and distort it and confuse people. The chart is inaccurate and has no bearing at all on how Americans would see the health care system under reform. Senator Dole should be helping people understand our broken health care system, and how reform would effect families, not confusing them with misleading charts. We hope that in the coming months we can get away from the distortions and back to the real issues -- guaranteed private insurance for every American at prices they can afford. Health Care Reform Today * The White House * 202-456-2566 * Fax: 202-456-2362