Bill Clinton: “Indeed, the Senator from New York does recall that. I appreciate the Senator from Illinois raising that because that, of…”

“Indeed, the Senator from New York does recall that. I appreciate the Senator from Illinois raising that because that, of course, is one of the objections the opponents are trying to throw up, that this bill will open the floodgates for lawsuits. In Texas that has not happened. It has not happened anywhere in the country where these protections have been afforded under State law. People are not rushing to the courthouse. They want the care that they need. They don't want a lawyer; they want a doctor; and they want the doctor to take care of them according to the doctor's best judgment. That is what doctors are telling us. They are not being permitted to do that. I appreciate my friend from Illinois raising that point because, as this debate proceeds, you are going to hear a lot of arguments about why we just cannot do this. You know, we just cannot take care of Donna and her mother Mary and all the other Donnas and Marys in our country. There will be all sorts of red herrings and all kinds of arguments made that just do not hold water. There is no basis in fact for them, but they sound good. Maybe they will scare some people. But we are tired of being scared and intimidated. This is no longer just a political issue, this goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. Are we going to take care of each other? Are we going to let doctors and nurses practice their professions? Or are we going to turn our lives over to HMO accountants and bookkeepers and the like?”