Cracks down on fraud. The health security proposal makes health-care fraud a crime and imposes stiff penalties on those who cheat the system. It prohibits doctors from referring patients to outside facilities, like labs, which they own a piece of. It stops the kickbacks that some laboratories give doctors in an effort to get their business.
Asks the drug companies to hold down prescription drug prices. The Health Security plan asks drug companies to take responsibility for keeping prices down, without setting prices. In today's system, overcharging runs rampant --certain prescription drugs cost Americans three times more than people pay in other industrialized countries.
Emphasizes preventive care. The Health Security plan puts a new emphasis on preventing illness before it becomes a medical crisis. Prevention will improve the quality of care by helping people stay healthy rather than treating them after they get sick. It offers you full coverage of a wide range of preventive services, but asks you to take responsibility for keeping yourself healthy.
Reforms malpractice. The President's proposal will limit lawyers' fees in order to discourage frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. It will also encourage patients and doctors to use alternative forms of dispute resolution before they end up in court. This will help eliminate the "defensive medicine" that drives up costs and hurts quality -- doctors ordering extra tests because they fear lawyers looking over their shoulders.
Everyone contributes, and no one gets a free ride. In America, rights and responsibilities go hand-in-hand. Everyone will get a Health Security card that guarantees you a comprehensive package of benefits that can never be taken away. But we will ask everybody to pay something, even if your contribution is small. Small businesses and low-wage workers will get substantial discounts on the cost of insurance, but everyone must take responsibility.
Section of President Clinton's speech covering responsibility