[Adta] Questions about Bush 2's health paln

[Danielle Fraenkel]

FYI -
For those of us with serious questions about the President's health plan,
this simplifies for us all an otherwise very complex flow chart:
http://alternet.org/blogs/peek/47215/
Stephen Colbert explains the Bush health plan:
"It's so simple. Most people who can't afford health insurance also
are too poor to owe taxes. But if you give them a deduction from
the taxes they don't owe, they can use the money they're not
getting back from what they haven't given to buy the health care
they can't afford."
forwarded with commentary by
David Byrom, Ph.D., Past President
The National Coalition of Mental Health
Professionals and Consumers, Inc.
    http://www.TheNationalCoalition.org 
 
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tax-reform-could-make-health/story.aspx?guid=%7b085D44D8-7A0A-4CE7-9BEB-18F23B66D1A3%7d&print=true&dist=printTop 
<http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/tax-reform-could-make-health/story.aspx?guid=%7b085D44D8-7A0A-4CE7-9BEB-18F23B66D1A3%7d&print=true&dist=printTop>
 
Text of president's radio address
Bush says tax reform could make health care more affordable
By MarketWatch
Last Update: 11:41 AM ET Feb 17, 2007

This is the text of President's radio address on February 17.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today I would like to talk to you about an 
urgent priority for our Nation: confronting the rising costs of health 
care.
In my State of the Union Address, I invited Democrats and Republicans in 
Congress to work with my Administration to reform our health care 
system. In the past few weeks, I've discussed my health care proposals 
with citizens across our country. Next week, I'll visit a hospital in 
Tennessee to hear directly from people who do not have access to basic, 
affordable health insurance. I'll also meet with a panel of experts at 
the White House to discuss how we can build a vibrant market where 
individuals can buy their own health insurance.
The problem with our current system is clear: health care costs are 
rising rapidly, more than twice as fast as wages. These rising costs are 
driving up the price of health insurance and making it harder for 
working families to afford coverage. These rising costs also make it 
harder for small businesses to offer health coverage to their employees. 
We must address these rising costs so that more Americans can afford 
basic private health insurance.
One of the most promising ways to make private coverage more affordable 
and accessible is to reform the tax code. Today, the tax code unfairly 
penalizes people who do not get health insurance through their job. If 
you buy health insurance on your own, you pay much more after taxes than 
if you get it through your job. I proposed to end this unfair bias in 
the tax code by creating a standard tax deduction for every American who 
has health insurance, whether they get it through their job or on their 
own.
For example, every family that has health insurance would get a $15,000 
deduction on their taxes. This deduction would also apply to payroll 
taxes, so that even those who pay no income taxes would benefit. 
Americans deserve a level playing field. If you're self-employed, a 
farmer, a rancher, or an employee at a small business who buys health 
insurance on your own, you should get the same tax advantage as those 
who get their health insurance through their job at a big business.
At the same time, I proposed "Affordable Choices" grants to help states 
provide coverage for the uninsured. Governors across our country have 
put forward innovative ideas for health care reform. Under my proposal, 
states that make basic private health insurance available to all their 
citizens would receive Federal funds to help them provide this coverage 
to the poor and the sick. Next week, the Nation's governors will come to 
Washington to discuss challenges facing their states. I've asked my 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, to meet with the 
governors and discuss ways we can work together to help reduce the 
number of uninsured Americans.
Reforming health care is a bipartisan priority. Earlier this week, I was 
pleased to receive a letter from 10 senators -- five Democrats and five 
Republicans -- who expressed their desire to work together on health 
care reform. I look forward to discussing our proposals and hearing more 
about their ideas. I appreciate the commitment of this bipartisan group 
to work with my Administration, and I will continue to reach across 
party lines to enact common-sense health care reforms.
 From my conversations with Democrats and Republicans, it is clear both 
parties recognize that strengthening health care for all Americans is 
one of our most important responsibilities. I am confident that if we 
put politics aside, we can find practical ways to improve our private 
health care system, and help millions of Americans enjoy better care, 
new choices, and healthier lives.
Thank you for listening.
COPIED AS FAIR USE
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