[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] Health Care Talking Points/Update May 18, 1994 ______________________________________________________________ THREE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS SHOW THAT THE PRESIDENT'S APPROACH TO COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM IS GAINING MOMENTUM * Leading Southern Democratic Conservative Endorses Employer Responsibility -- Louisiana Senator John Breaux outlined a proposal yesterday supporting health benefits guaranteed at work. We are pleased that Senator Breaux has joined the growing list of supporters of Employer Responsibility. Breaux's proposal shows that Congress is making progress towards the President's bottom line of Universal Coverage. Senator Breaux has acknowledged that Health Benefits Guaranteed at Work provides Americans with Health Security and makes sound Economic Sense. * The Clinton Plan -- just what the doctor ordered The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) -- the most prestigious journal written by and for physicians -- gives the Clinton Plan high marks on all elements vital to successful and lasting health reform . The plan "makes the grade" scoring well above almost most every piece of legislation introduced in this Congress. JAMA ranks the President's proposal 2nd among all health care reform proposals. The only proposal that scored higher overall than the President's plan was the "Stark mark:" the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health proposal which is an extension of the President's plan. JAMA also underscored that the President's approach to universal coverage, financing, health benefits guaranteed at work, and accomplishing meaningful reform this year, are all sound policy that will protect what works well in our health care system. * The "Nation's Newspaper" Announces Support For Health Benefits Guaranteed At Work -- Support for health benefits at work by the nation's most widely read newspaper, goes to show that the tide is turning in the President's favor on this most important issue. The editors of the USA TODAY write today: "Tie health coverage to jobs, cover everybody....To achieve universal coverage, build on the employer-provided system that already exists." Answering critics who maintain that an employer mandate will stifle jobs, the USA Today notes "that's a bright-red herring....A mandate would mean little cost for most Americans. The insured will stay that way, and the uninsured could get the coverage they need. And either way, you and your family become healthier and more secure, at small cost and tremendous savings. What's wrong with that? When you think about it: Absolutely nothing."