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Seriously? Bush Had No HealthCare Plan?

Mike

Well-known member
The forgotten history of George W. Bush’s comprehensive health reform plan

Too many people conveniently ignore that in his 2007 State of the Union message President Bush proposed a sweeping health reform plan that would have replaced the current tax exclusion for employer-provided coverage with standard tax deductions for all individuals and families. The Bush plan called for a tax deduction that would have applied to payroll taxes as well as income taxes. Moreover, if one were worried about non-filers, the subsidy could easily have instead been structured as a refundable tax credit in which case even those without any income taxes would have gotten an additional amount. This is the kind of policy detail that easily could have been negotiated had the Democrats been in a cooperative mood in 2007. They were not. On the contrary, President Bush’s health plan was declared “dead on arrival” by Democrats in 2007. Yet it is Republicans who were tagged as being uncooperative and intransigent when they resisted the misguided direction that Obamacare seemed to be headed.

What’s sad is that the Bush plan actually was superior to Obamacare when it comes to providing universal coverage. Remember, Obamacare actually does not provided universal coverage. The latest figures from CBO says that when it is fully implemented in 2016, Obamacare will cut the number of uninsured by only 45%, covering 89% of the non-elderly. Even if illegal immigrants are excluded, this percentage rises to only 92%. In contrast, the Bush plan (without a mandate!) would have cut the number of uninsured by 65%. But that’s ancient history. Consider one of the newest market-oriented health reform plans put on the table by Jim Capretta and Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Compared to Obamacare, this plan would cost roughly the same amount yet cover 22% more (8 million!) uninsured. If there’s a superior alternative to the slow-motion train wreck now being implemented, why wouldn’t the President and Democrats in Congress want to seriously consider it as a replacement?

Of course even those willing to acknowledge Bush’s health reform plan then tend to counter with the claim that he wasn’t “serious” about his proposal. It was just a defensive move to defend Republicans in 2008 against the charge that the Republicans didn’t have a plan because they didn’t care about the issue (sound familiar). Those dubious about GWB’s “seriousness” about health reform should do the following thought experiment. Imagine that the Democrats in Congress had passed a bill containing the Bush administration’s health plan–no more, no less. Does anyone seriously believe GWB would have vetoed that bill? If not, I would argue his proposal was a serious one.
OT wrote:
I voted for GW because health care reform was one of his top campaign promises-- and after he reneged on that promise I again thought it was important when I voted for Obama...
From my perspective I've seen this issue as very important to not only individuals but to the total welfare of our economy in the future..
:roll: :roll:
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
George W. Bush for President 2000 Campaign Brochure

‘Opportunity, Security and Responsibility -- A Fresh Start for America’




I’m running for President because I want to help usher in the responsibility era, where people understand they are responsible for the choice they make and are held accountable for their actions.

As President, I’ll make our schools accountable for results. I’ll encourage our schools to take more responsibility for teaching character to our children so they understand right and wrong and that actions have consequences. I’ll give local school districts more flexibility to spend money where it is needed to improve our children’s education. I’ll strengthen Social Security, guaranteeing government is responsible for the promises it has made America’s seniors and allowing younger American’s to voluntarily invest some of their Social Security taxes in Personal Accounts. I’ll reform Health Care so every family has access to affordable health insurance, and seniors have a choice of plans, including prescription drug coverage. I’ll rebuild our military, giving it the resources it needs to meet its responsibility to keep the peace. I’ll promote a responsible economic agenda to continue our prosperity. I’ll provide tax relief for all Americans, especially those struggling to make it into the middle class.

I will use the Presidency to promote a greater sense of responsibility across this great country. By encouraging communities to be responsible for their citizens and asking individuals to be responsible for their actions, we will renew our country’s spirit. If elected, when I put my hand on the bible, I will swear to not only uphold the law of the land, but also the integrity of the office to which I have been elected.
------------------------------

Quality Heath Care for Every Family.

George W. Bush’s goal is for every American to have access to quality health care. His proposal for tax credits will help working families buy affordable insurance. Bush will increase the number of community health centers to increase access to health services. Governor Bush will expand Medical Savings Accounts and strengthen and reform Medicare so everyone -- especially low income seniors -- has access to prescription drug coverage. He believes doctors should make medical decisions, not insurance companies. He’ll sign a Patient’s Bill of Rights that holds HMOs accountable and reduces junk lawsuits, as he did in Texas. Governor Bush will help people afford long term care policies with new incentives. Seniors should not worry about being burdens to their children. And families should get help with the cost of caring for elderly family members at home. He’ll expand research into curing cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases, in part by dramatically increasing the budget of the National Institutes of Health.


http://www.4president.org/brochures/georgewbush2000brochure.htm


It was one of GW's top campaign promises in 2000 too- and like I said before, one of the main reasons I voted for him... But he did nothing with following thru on his promise...Health care/insurance reform had been the number 1 concern of voters surveyed for years until GW gave them two problems that concerned them more-- the Iraq War and the Bush Bust...


Also funny how GW ran on a platform of making folks accept responsibility- but now that Obama did just that its an evil subject...
 

Mike

Well-known member
Unfortunately, Bush’s Healthcare plan went nowhere in Congress. Democrats had zero partisan incentive to cooperate with Bush, given the possibility that a Democratic President would be elected in 2008. Rep. Pete Stark (D., Calif.), then chairman of the key Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, pronounced it “dead on arrival.”

:lol: Rant on, Lardass............... and continue to make a fool of yourself :lol:
 
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