Bill Clinton: “If you look at the plan the way it operates, and I would urge you to read it carefully, we will actually provide more…”

“If you look at the plan the way it operates, and I would urge you to read it carefully, we will actually provide more funding for medical research than we are now, more funding for health education centers than we are now. Each employee in the country will get at least three choices of plans. They might choose an HMO which, you're right, would then have a closed panel of doctors which would limit the number of doctors. But we know that there are a lot of HMO's that have very high patient satisfaction, the ones that are really well run. But they might also choose a preferred provider organization, and under our rules, no PPO can deny interest to any doctor that wanted to be a part of it. So a doctor could join a lot of different organizations so that the doctor could, in effect, be available to all his or her patients, even after this reform takes place. And finally, keep in mind, if you look at the package of comprehensive benefits here, virtually all Americans with insurance now would get the same benefits that Fortune 500 companies enjoy and much better than they have now. So we want to preserve choice; we want to preserve quality; we want to preserve a range of benefits. Also, one of these plans, every employee will have the option today, under this plan, to choose fee-for-service medicine. Today in America, only one-third of the insured employees in this country have an option of more than one plan. Mr. Koppel. Mr. President, let me jump in for just one moment. What I'm hearing in my ear is that some of those who have your best interest at heart, namely members of your staff, are very concerned that you not spend too much of this night with this, because you've got a big day tomorrow. So I want to let the audience know that we are in the process of winding down. I would like to have maybe two or three more questions. Would that be all right with you?”