Health Plan's Impact Debated [Bush SOTU health plan]

[antigop]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012601588.html

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President Bush likes to say that his health-care proposal would "level the playing field" between people who get health coverage through their job and those who buy it on their own.

But experts said yesterday that it would tilt that field toward a kind of health insurance that Bush has long favored -- a high-deductible plan paired with a special tax-exempt health savings account, or HSA.

"I think it would be a big push for HSAs," said Mark B. McClellan, a health economist and former top health-policy adviser to Bush.
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This is the plan -- move everyone to high-deductible policies and health savings accounts. The insurance companies get a windfall because of the high-deductibles. Banks and mutual fund companies get a windfall because they will be ever-so-happy to manage that health savings account for you.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. A sick joke, just like HSAs.

This should just be a non-starter.

[depakid]

2. The so called "plan" isn't being "debated."

Except maybe by the vapid propagandists at the Post.

It's DOA because it's dead stupid, and everyone in public health and economics knows it.

[Lasher]

3. A new slogan has been cooked up for this one

Let's "level the playing field!" Wheeee! What's with that? Well as we all know we are competing with one another to see who can buy the best health care insurance from insurance company bloodsuckers. If I manage to get coverage I win and you lose. In your face, assholes! But if you don't have coverage, the real enemy isn't the government that devotes resources toward tax cuts for the rich and adventures to enrich the military/industrial complex. No, the enemy is those who have the health care that you don't have. That's right, and we need to "level the playing field" to ensure that nobody has health coverage - except rich people, let's not be silly.

It's a win-win! In Junior's brave new world of the future, we will all be happy and equal because we will all be treated the same with no health care for anyone. Except the most affulent 10% of the country. After all, coverage is much deserved by our betters who earned the privelege by being born into wealthy dynasties. Good people beget good people!