DRAFT 2015-09-03 @ 130pm
TALKING POINTS FOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
HEALTHCARE ROUNDTABLE
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
AT THE TOP:

I’m delighted to be back in beautiful Puerto Rico. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
“Te quiero [Tay Key-AIR-oh] Puerto Rico!”

My last trip to Puerto Rico was in 2008. The people of Puerto Rico were very kind to me
then. And as Senator, I represented New York’s vibrant Puerto Rican community – so I feel
right at home here.

I’m here today because I’m running for President of the United States – and Puerto Rico.
Our President should give you just as much attention as he or she gives any other citizen of
the United States.

We owe a lot to Puerto Ricans. You’ve contributed to our country in every field. Your sons
and daughters have fought for the United States around the world. And we have a
responsibility to help you and stand with you, to address any challenge you face.

I know that your economy has continued to decline, and I’ll talk more about that at the end of
our discussion. But first, I want to hear from you about the work you’re doing to improve
healthcare here in Puerto Rico – because few issues more directly impact people’s lives and
futures.

With that, let me turn it over to you.
AT THE END:

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. Your stories cast light on the full scope
and scale of Puerto Rico’s challenges – as well as the extraordinary resources that the Puerto
Rican people bring to bear in solving them.

Let me just make three quick points.

First: the inconsistent, incoherent, and inequitable treatment of Puerto Rico in our
Federal health and other laws cannot continue. It’s morally wrong, and it’s economically
disastrous. As President, I will put Puerto Rico on a path toward equal treatment under
Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance.
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DRAFT 2015-09-03 @ 130pm

Puerto Ricans shouldn’t have to move to New York or Florida or anywhere else to get the
healthcare you need. And healthcare providers shouldn’t have to move, either. You’re
American citizens. You deserve better than that.

Second, we can’t solve Puerto Rico’s healthcare crisis without addressing your
economic problems.

I know there have been calls for greater austerity measures. But fixing your economy cannot
be done through austerity alone.

I was glad to see a deal struck earlier this week to restructure PREPA’s debts. Now Congress
needs to do its party. It should give Puerto Rico the same authority that states have to let
severely distressed government entities restructure their debts. It’s only fair – and it’ll give
Puerto Rico the best shot at success.

Political leaders here in Puerto Rico are widely agreed about this. I’m with them. But not a
single Republican in Washington is stepping up to support this. And they’re not offering any
alternatives, either. You deserve better than that.

And third, every challenge that Puerto Rico faces – whether economic or healthcarerelated or anything else – ties back to that fundamental question: Puerto Rico’s
ultimate political status.

Ever since Puerto Rico first became a U.S. territory, its leaders have wanted a form of
government that allows Puerto Rico’s national laws to be democratically determined. This
was reaffirmed just a few years ago, in your plebiscite on political status in 2012.

This comes down to your basic rights. All people have the right to a representative form of
government. So I want to see this settled, once and for all.

Congress has passed a law to finally resolve this issue through another plebiscite. The next
step is for Puerto Rico’s Elections Commission to submit options to the U.S. Department of
Justice, to ensure that whatever choice Puerto Ricans make can be implemented.

Whatever you choose, Congress will have an obligation to honor it. And I for one won’t rest
until they do. This is vital to Puerto Rico’s future and to the future of the entire United States
– because this goes to the question of what kind of democracy we are. We have to get this
right. And as President, that would be a priority for me – and I’d be your partner in it.
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