President Bush Speaks Out About Healthcare

According to a press release from the White House, President Bush spoke out about United States health care on Wednesday.

President Bush spoke to an audience of health care professionals; he began his comments with a synopsis of the problems plaguing United States Health care.

"These men and women have different specialties, different backgrounds, and different ideas, but they all agree on an important fact: America's health care system is in need of serious reform. And I agree. The American people share that belief, as well. In my conversations with Republicans and Democrats and business owners and workers, I hear the same concerns: America's health care is too costly, it's too confusing; it leaves too many people uninsured." President Bush stated.

The President went on to outline two possible approaches to fixing the problems with the United States health care system. The first option the President spoke of was the one currently being employed by many democrats which is to increase government insurance programs. The second option was one the Bush Administration is currently seeking which is mainly to find new ways to help individuals purchase private insurance policies.

President Bush followed his synopsis of possible approaches by stating his opinion about legislation proposed by democrats; the legislation aims to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Democrats have previously stated that they wish to make the program accessible to more Americans; President Bush does not support this view, and feels that it will make the United States current health system worse.

"The problem is that Democrats want to expand S-CHIP far beyond its original intent. If their proposal becomes law, S-CHIP would expand its reach to include children from family that earn as much as $80,000 a year, as well as some adults. This is a massive expansion of the program. Their goal is to take incremental steps down the path to government-run health care for every American.Government-run health care would deprive Americans of the choice and competition that comes from the private market. It would cause huge increases in government spending, which could lead to higher taxes. It would result in rationing, inefficiency and long-waiting lines. It would replace the doctor-patient relationship with dependency on people here in Washington, D.C." Bush said.

After airing his disagreement with the Democrats proposed expansion of S-Chip, President Bush detailed several programs that he felt would improve the United States health care system by making changes to the private market of insurance, and the tax code rather than expanding government health programs.

President Bush claimed that his administration had been attempting to make these changes and enact programs that would make private health insurance affordable for everyone. These programs include: health savings accounts that allow users to save money, tax free, to pay for medical expenses; associated health plans that will allow small businesses to procure insurance policies at the discount rate enjoyed by large companies.

The President also covered details of his proposed reforms to tax code concerning deductions for families with private health insurance; he took care to point out the bias inherent in the current tax code concerning health insurance. Citizens who pay for insurance through their employer receive a deduction for health insurance premiums. Citizens, who purchase insurance on their own, rather than through their employer, do not receive a deduction. The President claims that his proposed change to tax code would correct the problem; he is currently proposing a $15,000 deduction for families with private health insurance.

President Bush closed the session with his opinion that private health care was the best course of action for the United States, and reiterated his commitment to purse new and creative ways to fix the problems with the current United States health system.

Sources:
The United States White House