Bush disappoints on health care

In one of his less inspired speeches, President Bush pulled a Clinton and offered the country everything but a kitchen sink, including a few politically weak ideas for cutting health care costs. His strongest proposal, which isn’t likely to pass this year, would offer 100% tax deductions on insurance premiums paid by small businesses and individuals. Such a measure would do a lot to end the dominance of employer-sponsored health insurance and stimulate the individual health insurance market. And it could help cut costs a bit. President Bush was expected to talk about health care in his state of the union speech.

In one of his less inspired speeches, President Bush pulled a Clinton and offered the country everything but a kitchen sink, including a few politically weak ideas for cutting health care costs. His strongest proposal, which isn’t likely to pass this year, would offer 100% tax deductions on insurance premiums paid by small businesses and individuals. Such a measure would do a lot to end the dominance of employer-sponsored health insurance and stimulate the individual health insurance market. And it could help cut costs a bit. President Bush was expected to talk about health care in his state of the union speech.

What’s needed is presidential leadership in ending the under payment of hospitals and physicians, which forces them to shift costs to small employers via health insurers. It won’t happen.

 

“The president plans to pressure Congress “to address rapidly rising health-care costs,” according to the portions of his speech that were released in advance. And while the advance excerpts did not mention the subject, no one would be surprised if Mr. Bush again proposed legislation to curb medical-malpractice lawsuits,” The NY Times reported.

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