REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT ALBERT
                       GORE, JR. AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
                       AARP BIENNIAL CONVENTION,

                       Friends, there is a reason the AARP remains not just the
                       largest non-denominational organization in America, but also
                       one of the most vital. Because you have always recognized the
                       changing needs of a changing population. 

                       I have come here today to tell my fellow members of the
                       AARP: I am committed to protecting America's seniors, and
                       helping you seize the new opportunities of a new century. If
                       we rise to its changes and challenges, the 21st Century can be
                       the healthiest and most hopeful time America's seniors have
                       ever known. 

                       I want to talk about four major changes that are shaping the
                       lives of America's seniors, and the ways we can meet them
                       together. 

                       First, as we approach the 21st Century, America is becoming
                       grayer. Not only is our senior population doubling in the next
                       30 years, but life expectancy is increasing dramatically. What a
                       blessing. Sixty years ago, average life expectancy was below
                       the retirement age. Today, it is 76 and rising. 

                       That is why we must recommit ourselves to the greatest
                       programs ever created by our national government: Social
                       Security and Medicare. We must protect them for today, and
                       we must save them for tomorrow. 

                       First, we must defend Medicare. You know, even though I was
                       young at the time, I still remember the fights over its creation.
                       I remember one man standing up on the floor of the United
                       States Senate in 1964, offering an amendment to protect
                       seniors from being decimated by illness. 

                       When he was waging that fight, 46% of older Americans were
                       uninsured, and almost a third lived in poverty. The amendment
                       he offered was Medicare, and he described its mission in these
                       words: it's "the most pressing, unmet problem in our society."
                       He didn't get a majority for his idea that year, but the
                       following year, after the big change in the Congress in
                       November of 1964, he kept fighting for it -- and, in July of
                       1965, it became the law of the land. 

                       That man was my father, Senator Albert Gore, Sr. He is 90
                       today -- and his role in the fight for Medicare is one of the
                       proudest moments of both his life and mine. 

                       Medicare provides health care for 39 million seniors and their
                       families. Because it is now law, the ranks of uninsured elderly
                       have dropped from almost 50 percent to only one percent, and
                       the poverty rate among seniors has dropped by almost
                       two-thirds. And we must always remember that Medicare is not
                       just for the oldest generations, but for all generations. I
                       remember my mother and father worrying about the health
                       expenses of my grandparents. And I know many of you went
                       through those same trials. 

                       And many still do. Consider Marlys and Kenneth Drebenstedt of
                       Bloomington, Minnesota. I met with them on my last trip here
                       to Minnesota last week. I got to know them a little bit, and I
                       invited them and some others who are here today to join us. 

                       Like more and more Americans, they are struggling to care for
                       both their children and their parents. Kenneth's mother had
                       worked for years in difficult physical labor, scrubbing floors on
                       her knees. In her later years, she became frail; her body wore
                       out in many places. She suffered from arthritis, back problems,
                       and eye problems. The Drebenstedts had a really difficult 12
                       years of caring for her. Without Medicare, they would not have
                       been able to pay for her health care in the final years of her
                       life. Now, Marlys's mother -- now almost 80 -- faces similar
                       challenges. The Drebenstedts shouldn't have to choose
                       between saving for their children's education, and paying for
                       their parents' health care. Thanks to Medicare, they don't have
                       to. 

                       We all know stories like theirs. So when some in Congress
                       passed deep cuts in Medicare and the wrong kind of reforms, I
                       wasn't surprised by the AARP's reaction: you said it was "too
                       much, too fast," and that there was "no other alternative" but
                       the veto. That was good advice -- and we took it. We stopped
                       those dangerous proposals. And hear me well: if Congress
                       threatens Medicare again, we'll stop them again. 

                       I'm proud that we worked together to strengthen Medicare, and
                       extend the life of the trust fund by a decade. Now we must do
                       more to crack down on fraud and abuse in a health care system
                       that is driven too much by profit. President Clinton and I have
                       assigned more prosecutors to fight health care fraud, saving
                       $20 billion. 

                       Today, I'm announcing a new plan that will enlist seniors in
                       the battle against fraud. We've already seen how seniors can
                       help. Senator Tom Harkin launched a pilot Medicare Senior
                       Waste Patrol in 12 states including Minnesota. In Iowa, one
                       member of the patrol, Barbara Whitney, had her annual flu
                       shot, but then was called back for another shot because the
                       first was defective. But when she got her bill, she noticed that
                       Medicare had been charged for both shots -- and when she
                       reported that error, we found out that Medicare had been
                       double-billed for every senior in the area who had received flu
                       shots. She single-handedly saved Medicare more than $1
                       million. 

                       That's the kind of help we need from seniors all over the
                       country. So today, I am announcing on behalf of President
                       Clinton a new regulation that says: wherever you live, if you
                       find fraud in the Medicare system, and it is eliminated because
                       of your work, you can keep 10 percent of the money we save,
                       up to $1,000. Together, let's make sure that every dollar of
                       Medicare goes into health, not waste. 

                       And let's pass the President's proposal to extend Medicare to
                       those who are 55 to 65. I say to Congress: it's time to let the
                       near-elderly buy into Medicare, because no one should fall
                       through the cracks of our health care system. 

                       And next we must protect Social Security. We all know what
                       Social Security has done to lift generations of seniors out of
                       poverty. America heeded the words of the scripture: "Do not
                       cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my
                       strength is gone." 

                       And the benefits of Social Security cascade down through the
                       generations. Look at Ann Svendsen, of Tyler, Minnesota. She's
                       63 now. But when she was 26 and already a mother of five, her
                       husband died in a farming accident. Without Social Security
                       Survivors' Benefits, she would have been forced to go on
                       welfare. In those days, it was only $254 a month. For a widow
                       with five children, that works out to about a dollar a day per
                       person. But she made it last, and Social Security enabled her
                       family to survive. 

                       In recent years, she also cared for her parents, with the help
                       of Medicare. In fact, her father just died of prostate cancer at
                       the age of 90 two months ago. And Ann is now a volunteer in
                       the effort to root out fraud and abuse. 

                       The security provided to survivors, like Ann Svendsen and her
                       children, has been crucial to millions of Americans, and of
                       course, millions more have benefitted from the disability
                       program. But the retirement part of Social Security -- the
                       largest part -- remains the single most important act of social
                       policy ever enacted by the United States government. You've
                       paid into it all your lives. You deserve it. And we're going to
                       make sure nobody takes it away. 

                       When President Clinton announced that we would have the
                       first budget surplus in 30 years, he warned that there would be
                       temptations to spend it right away for politically popular
                       purposes: brand new programs on one hand, huge tax cuts on
                       the other. 

                       President Clinton and I believe we must take a different course
                       with our hard-won fiscal discipline: we must reserve every
                       penny of any surplus until we save Social Security first. 

                       I ask you: should we spend the surplus on tax cuts before
                       Social Security is fixed? Should we spend the surplus on new
                       programs before Social Security is fixed? Or should we save
                       every penny of the surplus until we save Social Security first? 

                       This is more than a fiscal responsibility. It is a profoundly
                       moral responsibility. All Americans earned that budget surplus
                       -- and almost all Americans paid into Social Security. That is
                       why all of us, together, must make this pledge. 

                       And it must be a bipartisan pledge. Earlier this year, leaders in
                       both parties endorsed it. Now some are already trying to back
                       away, to break a pledge as fundamental as Social Security
                       itself. This is no time to turn back -- and no time to play
                       politics with America's retirement savings. 

                       Of course there won't be easy answers, or quick fixes. The
                       AARP knows that, which is why you're helping to start a
                       national dialogue, through forums across the country - such as
                       the one I will be joining in Providence, Rhode Island on July
                       1st. We need all of you to join this debate. I know there isn't
                       a single person here today who doesn't want Social Security to
                       be as strong for your grandchildren as it is for you. 

                       So let us send a message, loud and clear, to those who would
                       trade away our long-term security for a fistful of short-term
                       silver: hands off our surplus until we save Social Security first. 

                       Our seniors face a second great change as we approach the
                       21st Century. Today, seniors are not just living longer, but
                       staying healthier, living better, doing more for themselves and
                       for their communities. 

                       The AARP has been a national leader in creating new
                       opportunities for today's seniors -- people like Winnie and Don
                       Gustafson of Esko, Minnesota. Don's a former high school
                       principal, and Winnie has nursing experience. As they
                       approached retirement, they realized how complicated it can
                       be for seniors to sort through their health and retirement
                       options - especially as we expand benefits and choices in
                       Medicare. 

                       So the Gustafsons volunteered as insurance counselors - to
                       help seniors navigate a changing health care system. With a
                       quick phone call by Don or one of Winnie's e-mails on the
                       Internet, there's hardly a question they can't answer. They're
                       just two of 14 million seniors volunteering across America --
                       and we're proud of all of them. 

                       But let's be clear: not every retiree is blessed with the good
                       health the Gustafsons have. Look at what Patrick Jarchow of
                       Little Canada, Minnesota has been through. 

                       From the day he finished high school and vocational school, he
                       worked in the sheet metal trades, always in hard jobs - moving
                       literally tons of steel every day, piece by piece. By the time he
                       was in his 30's, he had torn his shoulder, thrown out his back,
                       and literally collapsed on the shop floor. By the time he
                       reached his late 40's, his doctor had told him he faced
                       permanent paralysis if he kept working in hard physical labor.
                       For Patrick, that meant early retirement, and a series of odd
                       jobs. He told me: "they took my health; they might as well
                       have taken my heart." 

                       So as we discuss ways to reform and save Social Security, as
                       we sit in front of those actuarial tables, let's not forget the
                       extra wear and tear on those who work hard physical jobs --
                       scrubbing floors, moving sheet metal, working on their feet all
                       day as waitresses. Our nation needs to think long and hard
                       about how to protect this vulnerable group. 

                       Third, as we approach the 21st Century, our health care
                       system is changing dramatically. A lot of that is because of
                       managed care. 160 million Americans are now enrolled in
                       managed care plans -- in part because of the savings they
                       offer. Those savings are a good thing. But when you have a
                       health problem, the doctor's first question should be "where
                       does it hurt;" not "will your health plan pay." 

                       Last week at the White House, the President and I met with
                       Ricka Powers, who lives right here in Minneapolis. She told us
                       how, six weeks ago, she learned that she is one of the 2.6
                       million American women with breast cancer. But it was three
                       years ago that she first found a lump in her breast. She went
                       to her HMO for testing, and was sent home with a clean bill of
                       health. She started to feel sicker -- but her requests for further
                       tests were denied. When she finally paid for a biopsy on her
                       own, she found she had stage two breast cancer. She needed
                       surgery. 

                       But Ricka told us that her HMO would only let her see a
                       general surgeon. She told of having to make 123 phone calls in
                       one week, desperate for help. She told of having to schedule
                       her surgery on her own -- and of having to battle to win
                       payment for the chemotherapy she began just two days ago.
                       President Clinton and I have heard too many stories like hers
                       -- stories of people denied access to emergency room care.
                       People denied the right to appeal when they can't get the care
                       they need. 

                       That's not managed care -- it's managed cost. And it is
                       shameful. No one should have to make 123 phone calls just to
                       see a specialist. No one should have to fight with their HMO
                       while they're trying to fight off a deadly disease. 

                       Americans need the best care, not just the cheapest care.
                       Crucial medical decisions should be made by doctors, not
                       accountants. 

                       Let's be clear: many managed care plans offer outstanding
                       care, with lower cost and added benefits. But even the best
                       managed care plans, with the best intentions, can sometimes
                       make mistakes. This isn't about numbers and statistics -- it's
                       about ensuring that every individual patient in America has his
                       or her rights protected. 

                       We need a law that will give every American in an HMO the
                       right to see a specialist when they need one. We need a law
                       that will give every American to appeal if an HMO denies them
                       the care they need. 

                       We need a Patients' Bill of Rights in this country. And
                       President Clinton and I are fighting to pass it into law. I urge
                       all of you to tell Congress: pass the Patients' Bill of Rights
                       into law. 

                       Fourth, and finally, as we approach the 21st Century, we are
                       making scientific and medical breakthroughs that would have
                       been unimaginable just a few short years ago. Thomas
                       Flatman once said that "Age...brings along with him a terrible
                       artillery." More and more, thanks to science and medicine, we
                       are fighting back. 

                       The pace of aging research is astonishing: from the discovery
                       of a new gene associated with Alzheimer's, to promising new
                       treatments for osteoporosis, to new ways of predicting
                       prostate cancer. In the past decade and a half, chronic
                       disability among the elderly has declined by almost 15 percent.

                       I believe that living longer should mean access to the medical
                       breakthroughs that let you enjoy life longer. That is why the
                       President and I have proposed an increase of 50 percent in
                       biomedical research, including an unprecedented increase of 65
                       percent in cancer research through the NIH. 

                       Research and discovery is just the first hurdle. Too often, the
                       elderly are not participating in clinical trials, because Medicare
                       does not cover them. 

                       Just last week, Dr. Jan Buckner, an Oncologist at the Mayo
                       Clinic here in Minnesota, was telling me why it is so critical to
                       enroll more seniors in clinical trials -- to learn more about
                       aging and the elderly, and to make new treatments available
                       to them. This January, I announced a new proposal to let
                       Medicare to cover certain cancer clinical trials. Now Congress
                       should pass it into law. Seniors deserve the latest and best
                       weapons in the war against cancer. 

                       Then there is the simple challenge of sharing our newest
                       discoveries with our oldest Americans -- educating them,
                       informing them, and testing them for disease so we can
                       prevent it and cure it. 

                       That approach would have meant a world of difference to
                       73-year-old Gerry Kozberg, of St. Paul. For years, she had the
                       telltale signs of osteoporosis -- her hemlines became uneven,
                       and she was losing height. But she had never even heard of
                       the disease, let alone had a test for it. Then, during her very
                       first week of retirement, a fracture left her in almost constant
                       pain for three months. Her doctors, for all their good
                       intentions, simply didn't know what was wrong. 

                       Finally, she got a proper diagnosis, got the right medication -
                       and she has now been pain-free for seven weeks. And as is
                       typical of a mother, her main concern is that her daughter have
                       the proper tests -- and that no other women in America be
                       forced to live with that pain. 

                       As we have reformed and strengthened Medicare, I am proud
                       that we have expanded it, to offer new preventive benefits
                       that save lives and reduce pain. We are expanding it to cover
                       the bone mass measurement tests that can identify
                       osteoporosis, tests for diabetes, mammography, colorectal
                       screening, and prostate cancer screening. We are doing more
                       to find and prevent chronic disease before it's too late. 

                       In closing, let me say that there is no more sacred obligation
                       than to care for our parents, and help them live every day to
                       its fullest -- especially in this new time of opportunity. The
                       generation that won World War Two -- the generations that
                       built America's post-war prosperity, and passed on their values
                       of hard work, family, and community -- they are Americans we
                       must never forsake, and always honor. 

                       And at its heart, this is about something more than programs
                       or policies -- it is about real people's lives. I'd like to ask some
                       of our special guests to stand and be recognized: 

                       As we fight to protect Medicare for our future, and for our
                       children's future, let's remember Marlys and Kenneth
                       Drebenstedt. 

                       As we recall what Social Security has meant to this country,
                       and as we save Social Security first, let's remember Ann
                       Svendsen. 

                       As we celebrate seniors who are making a difference, every
                       day of their lives, let's remember Winnie and Don Gustafson. 

                       As we honor the blessings of age -- and as we recognize its
                       burdens -- let us remember Patrick Jarchow. 

                       As we expand preventive care for all Americans, let's remember
                       Gerry Kozberg. 

                       As we fight for a Patients' Bill of Rights, to ensure the best
                       quality health care in the world, let's remember Ricka Powers. 

                       My fellow AARP members: these are the faces of America's
                       future. These are the people I pledge to help and protect. And
                       this is one membership I will be proud to keep for a long, long
                       time. Thank you. 


