Bill Clinton: “No, I feel even better about it. I mean, the CBO said that we could have guaranteed private health insurance for all…”

“No, I feel even better about it. I mean, the CBO said that we could have guaranteed private health insurance for all Americans, that it would reduce the Government deficit and reduce Government spending over the long run, that it wouldn't cost jobs for the American economy. I mean, I think the big-picture message is absolutely right. I think in terms of the differences, I'm studying now the differences in their calculations and ours in the next 5 or 6 years, and basically, they agree with us about how much it will cost. They think there will be more savings on the business side and fewer savings for the taxpayers in the short run. That's really the only difference as nearly as I can see. But those are all things that we can work out. Those are relatively minor budgetary considerations and other things that we can work through to get our numbers in harmony with theirs. So I'm not at all concerned. And I don't have anything else to say to what I said yesterday. I just think that to say that a private insurance payment from one private party to another should be on the Government budget--I just don't agree with that. I mean, otherwise every State in the country would have to put workers' compensation payments on their budget, and every State would have to put their mandatory drivers liability insurance on their budget. I just don't agree with--I mean, I understand the argument, but again, I think that's something we can fix with the drafting of the bill. So I'm not concerned about it.”