Bush Health Reform
by John Goodman
 President George W. Bush made bold health policy proposals in his State
of the Union message:
- First, he would level the playing field between individual
and employer purchase of health insurance.
- Second, he would eliminate provisions in the tax law that
reward waste and penalize economy in the purchase of health
insurance.
- Third, he would allow the states to redirect federal funds
used for charity care and use them to subsidize private
insurance instead.
Attached is an NCPA brief analysis (BA) analyzing the plan. A
second BA answers these questions in response to the critics:
- Is the Bush Plan a Sop to the Rich?
- Would Employer Coverage Erode?
- Would Employers Drop Their Health Plans?
- Would the Plan Increase the Number of People with Health
Insurance?
- Would the Plan Cripple Safety Net Hospitals?
The short answer to each question: No
For the long answer, click on: http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba578/ and
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba579
John C. Goodman is President of the National Center for Policy Analysis.
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