Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Bush, Democrats Highlight Different Messages in Radio Addresses
Aired June 23, 2001 - 13:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush today used his weekly radio address to make a preemptive strike against genetic discrimination. For details on that, CNN's White House correspondent Major Garrett is joining us from the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, where the President is spending the weekend -- Major.
MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Donna, in his weekly radio address, the president said genetic mapping offers great promise, but also great peril. The promise is that the genetic map of every individual in America could at some point in the near future, provide clues to the treatment -- successful treatment of all kinds of diseases: heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, cystic fibrosis.
But the peril, the president said, is that very same genetic mapping could, if put in the hands of unscrupulous insurers or employers, provide a grounds for discrimination because they would say, well, according to that genetic map, you have a genetic predisposition to one of these costly diseases. We're not going to hire you as a result. We're not going to insure you as a result.
The president said he will work with Congress to make sure that legislation is passed to protect all Americans from that kind of genetic discrimination.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Genetic discrimination is unfair to workers and their families. It is unjustified, among other reasons, because it involves little more than medical speculation. A genetic predisposition toward cancer or heart disease does not mean the condition will develop. To deny employment or insurance to a healthy person based only on a predisposition violates our country's belief in equal treatment and individual merit.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GARRETT: Now the question of health care in America was also on the minds of the Democrats in their radio response to the president. They didn't talk about genetic discrimination, however; they talked about the pending legislation in the United States Senate dealing with a patients' bill of rights.
And Senator Tom Harkin, a Democratic from -- Democrat from Iowa, said it was long past time to put HMOs in the same category as most American businesses: that is, liable in court if they make bad decisions that harm patients.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: We want to hold HMOs accountable when they unfairly deny you needed medical care. And that means being able to take them to court if all other recourses fail. But today, only two groups in the United States have total immunity from lawsuits: foreign diplomats and HMOs. We believe it's time to end diplomatic immunity for HMOs.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GARRETT: Now, the White House says it is wants to end that diplomatic immunity as well. The key difference is where the to take those lawsuits -- state court or federal courts, and how much damages can be allowed for various wrongs committed by HMOs.
The Senate's trying to work all that out. There's a key vote next week in the Senate Republicans are pushing to try to get the bill more in the White House direction. If the White House loses, they're just going to have start with a new strategy, but clearly the Democrats are pushing the issue of HMO reform. The White House is trying to adjust the best it can -- Donna.
KELLEY: All right, Major, thanks. Major Garrett at the Bush ranch in Texas.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
