Nearly 4 decades ago, President John F. Kennedy said, "One true measure
of a nation is its success in fulfilling the promise of a better life for
each of its members. Whenever the miracles of modern medicine are beyond the
reach of any group of Americans, for whatever reason . . . we must find a
way to meet their needs and hopes."
Every day in America, we are making scientific and medical breakthroughs
that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago. Our doctors,
nurses, medical researchers, and health care professionals are the best trained
and most able in the entire world. But still today, their care and the best
of modern medicine are too often beyond the reach of too many Americans. We
cannot expect our doctors and nurses to meet this challenge alone. The professionals
who are out there each day fighting on the front lines to save lives and improve
health cannot be expected to meet this challenge without the resources they
need to do their job.