Question

Passage A:

(September 22, 1993): Bill Clinton
"If Americans are to have the courage to change in a difficult time, we must first be secure in our
most basic needs. Tonight I want to talk to you about the most critical thing we can do to build
that security. This health care system of ours is badly broken, and it is time to fix it. Despite the
dedication of literally millions of talented health care professionals, our health care is too
uncertain and too expensive, too bureaucratic and too wasteful. It has too much fraud and too
much greed.
At long last, after decades of false starts, we must make this our most urgent priority, giving
every American health security, health care that can never be taken away, health care that is
always there. That is what we must do tonight.
So tonight I want to talk to you about the principles that I believe must embody our efforts to
reform America's health care system: security, simplicity, savings, choice, quality, and
responsibility [...]
We have to preserve and strengthen what is right with the health care system, but we have got to
fix what is wrong with it. Now, we all know what's right. We're blessed with the best health care
professionals on Earth, the finest health care institutions, the best medical research, the most
sophisticated technology [...] But we also know that we can no longer afford to continue to
ignore what is wrong. Millions of Americans are just a pink slip away from losing their health
insurance and one serious illness away from losing all their savings."

What is the central purpose to this passage

Answer 1

The central purpose of Bill Clinton's address is to advocate for transformative healthcare reform aimed at providing secure, high-quality, and universally accessible healthcare to all Americans, emphasizing the principles of security, simplicity, savings, choice, quality, and responsibility.

Step-by-step explanation:

The central purpose of the passage dated September 22, 1993, by Bill Clinton is to highlight the pressing need for comprehensive healthcare reform in the United States. Clinton emphasizes the flaws within the existing healthcare system, such as its uncertainty, expense, bureaucratic nature, wastefulness, fraud, and greed. He articulates a vision for a reformed system that provides Americans with secure, high-quality, and always available healthcare.

The objective is to ensure health security for all, with universal healthcare coverage that cannot be lost, due to reasons such as unemployment or serious illness. Clinton's address underlines the principles that he believed should guide the reform: security, simplicity, savings, choice, quality, and responsibility.

The context provided outlines various aspects of the healthcare debate during Clinton's presidency, including the detailed Health Security Act proposed in 1993 aimed at offering universal coverage. The political landscape at the time was contentious, with opponents arguing against what they perceived as increased government overreach, and supporters advocating for reform to address the 40 million uninsured Americans and the high costs that burdened many citizens.