Bill Clinton: “I know what you're--can I get to the--I know the question. First of all, there are a lot of doctors who don't treat…”

“I know what you're--can I get to the--I know the question. First of all, there are a lot of doctors who don't treat Medicaid patients because it's an incredible paperwork hassle fooling with the Federal Government, and because often the reimbursement rates are so much below regular insurance reimbursement rates for Medicaid. People with AIDS at some point have to quit working, and often times don't have insurance on the job, so they quit working just so they can get Medicaid. Two things will happen under this system that will really help you and people like you all over America. There are one million Americans that are HIV or AIDS today: Number one, because you will be covered with health insurance while you're able to work, including a drug benefit that will make you able to work longer, along with everybody else, you will always have health insurance, and it won't break your employer because you'll be part of a big community pool. So your rates will be the same as everybody else. So the first thing is, more people with HIV positive will be able to work longer without bankrupting their employers. Number two, if you do have to quit work and you go onto what we now--now the Medicaid program, it won't be a separate Medicaid program. Medicaid patients will be in these big health alliances with self- employed people, small business people, the employees of big corporations, everybody will be in there together. Everybody will pick their plans together. And the plan will treat you just like everybody else, because the reimbursement for you will be just like everybody else, and there will be one form to fill out for you, just like everybody else. So there will no longer be an incentive or the option to turn you down. They won't even know, for all practical purposes, whether you're Medicaid or not, because you'll just be in the plan with everyone else. That's a huge thing. It's a very important thing. Mr. Koppel. I told our audience before we went on the air, let me take this opportunity to tell our audience at home, we have three panels of experts: One in Boston; they're experts on public finance from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government group. In Chicago, they're practicing physicians; they're professors of medicine at the University of Chicago. And I'd like to turn now to a panel in Los Angeles. They're three experts on public health policy at UCLA. Only one of them, if you would be kind enough, gentlemen, but I know you have some thoughts on what we've discussed thus far. And I need all the help I can get, please. [Dr. Robert Brook praised the new health care plan's universal coverage but asked how the plan would assure quality care.]”