Secretary Thompson said he wanted to remove the consent requirements because he believed they could delay care.

As Secretary Thompson said recently, people should not be scared into thinking they need a gas mask.

But Secretary Thompson said, "We don't have the statutory authority" to avoid the cut planned for next year.

We are very pleased with Secretary Thompson's letter.

Secretary Thompson said today that his agency was "giving out as much information as we possibly can."

Secretary Thompson said consumers would benefit from the efforts of hospitals competing with one another to improve quality and get the extra Medicare money.

Secretary Thompson said, "Our goal is to achieve privacy protection that works."

But under questioning, Secretary Thompson expressed greater concern about a possible terrorist attack on the nation's food supplies.

"None of us will be as perfect as people would like, but Secretary Thompson is doing a very good job."

We firmly believe that Secretary Thompson had the authority to take the action he took.