Bill Clinton: “That is absolutely the case, especially as we tragically know so many young people who have been injured in Iraq or…”

“That is absolutely the case, especially as we tragically know so many young people who have been injured in Iraq or Afghanistan move from the DOD to the VA. We have to have a better system so that they can know what needs to be done for these brave young men and women. Secondly, we believe our legislation should work to reduce barriers and facilitate the electronic exchange of health information among providers in a secure and private way to improve health care quality and meet community needs. When communities come together, as is beginning to happen all over the country, the Federal Government should help them implement an interoperable health IT system. Interoperable sounds like a confusing word, but it means they can talk to each other, they can operate in the same overall system and do it in a way that complies with national standards. To speed up this process, we propose spending a total of $600 million--$125 million a year, over 5 years--to begin the work of rolling out interoperable electronic medical records systems around the Nation. Finally, we must use the data we collect to focus intensely on improving the quality of health care. Our medical system, which is, and deserves to be, the envy of the world, still suffers from enormous and unpardonable disparities in the quality of care.…”