President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota
Dick Putz Field
St. Cloud, Minnesota

Release Date: 10/16/2004

In a time of change, we've got to also reform our health care systems. Health care costs are rising rapidly, they're burdening our economy, they're leaving too many people uninsured. I have a common-sense, practical plan to make high-quality health care more affordable and more accessible. When it comes to health care, we have a difference of opinion -- and it's a big difference of opinion in this campaign. My opponent wants government to dictate. I want you to decide when it comes to health care. (Applause.)

More than half of the Americans who are currently uninsured are small business employees and their families. I want to change law to allow small firms to pool together so they can purchase insurance at the same discounts that big companies can purchase insurance. (Applause.)

My opponent opposes this plan. He calls it association health plans, and he opposes them. He says that health plans such at these, association health plans, would hurt consumers. No, what hurts consumers is not having health insurance. What hurts consumers is small businesses don't have the same advantages that big businesses have. Under my plan the same laws that protect workers at large companies will protect consumers at small companies. It is time to stop the excuses. It is time to act to give more Americans quality health insurance coverage. (Applause.)

We need to expand tax-free health savings accounts. These are important for our consumers. These are tax-free way to save for your own health care needs. Small businesses will be given tax credits that encourage them to put money into health savings accounts for their employees. We want more people to have their health savings accounts. So they make decisions based on the advice of their doctor -- not somebody working at a distant HMO. In order to make sure health care is available and affordable, we need to expand community health centers all across our country. These are places where the indigent and poor can find preventative care, and primary care help. In order to make sure health care is available and affordable, we're going to spread health information technology throughout our society.

In order to make sure health care is available and affordable, we need to do something about the junk lawsuits that are running good docs out of business and running up the costs of health care. (Applause.) I hear from people everywhere I go about the problems of the junk lawsuits. I hear from OB/GYNs how hard it is to practice their profession. I hear from pregnant women who are worried about the fact they can't find a good doc. See, I don't think you can be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. (Laughter.) I think you have to choose. My opponent has made his choice and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket. I made my choice: I am for medical liability reform -- now. (Applause.)

See, I think the problem in this campaign that my opponent has is that it's a plan that is massive and it's big and it puts the government in control of health care. And you can tell it's massive by the price tag. This week an independent group estimated the cost of Senator Kerry's plan would be $1.5 trillion -- that's trillion with a T. (Laughter.) And that's big even for a senator from Massachusetts. (Laughter.) The only possible way for him to pay for this plan is to tax you.

The other problem is that it expands the government. See, I'm going to give you an example. His plan will crowd out private health insurance, giving businesses an incentive to drop the health care plans they currently provide. That's the reality of expanding Medicaid coverage. A recent study showed that the plan would cause 8 million low to moderate income workers to lose private health coverage they currently get at work and be placed on Medicaid. Now, here's the problem with that: Medicaid is a government program. And when the government is in charge, bureaucrats make the decisions, deciding what doctors you can see and what health services are covered. That's the exact opposite of what we believe. I believe that when we reform and strengthen health care, the health decisions must be made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

In changing times, it helps to promote -- it helps families to promote ownership. If you own something, it brings stability in your life. During my administration, the home ownership rates in America are at an all-time high. More and more people are owning their own home. It's a fantastically hopeful sign for our country when people are opening the front door where they live saying, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property. (Applause.) Over the next years, we'll continue to expand ownership to every corner of America to help our families bring stability in times of change.

And we've got to understand our retirement systems need to be strengthened. If you're a Social Security recipient, nothing is going to change. I don't care how hot the political rhetoric gets, you're safe. Nothing changes. There's ample money in the Social Security trust to take care of you. For baby boomers like me, there's money in the trust to take care of us. But we need to think about our children and our grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. And I believe, in order to strengthen Social Security for the young, they must be allowed to take some of their tax money and set up a personal account, a personal savings account that strengthens Social Security, a personal savings account they call their own, and a personal savings account that government cannot take away. (Applause.)