Conrad Burns: “Mr. President, I just got back from Montana, and, of course, health care is probably the No. 1 topic we are asked about…”

“Mr. President, I just got back from Montana, and, of course, health care is probably the No. 1 topic we are asked about in our town meetings. Going around in the State of Montana, record crowds turn out to visit about the issues of Government. Some are saying, ``Government, get on out of my life.'' Others are saying, ``What about health care? Where is it going? What is it going to lead to, and here is our concern.'' I do not think anybody was really surprised at the last survey taken by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The 40,000 of their members nationwide are still further proof of what we have been saying all along, that, yes, the Clinton plan, or the one submitted by the administration, is pretty much unacceptable, but the status quo is also unacceptable. So we know that we are in for some change. We have to seek those places that we can find agreement and compromise on and get on with living. If you live on the border of Canada, which has a single-payer, Government-run system, you will soon understand why that plan is not exactly working for all people in Canada. Yes, they have universal coverage. What they do not have is universal access. We have universal access, but we do not have universal coverage. So somewhere in the middle there, we have to find some way to make ours work just a little bit better.”