On President Bush's watch, health coverage has become more
expensive and millions have lost their health insurance. Health
insurance premiums have increased by double-digit rates in each of
the past three years. The escalating cost of health insurance and
the substantial loss of jobs under the Bush Administration have
increased the number of uninsured Americans by 3.8 million since
2000. The total number of uninsured Americans - who are
overwhelmingly members of working families - now exceeds 43
million.
No health insurance leads to poorer health and premature
death. The myth that the uninsured receive the care they need has
been debunked. People without health insurance do not receive the
care that is needed to prevent, detect, and treat medical problems.
As a result, many are forced to live their lives in poorer health and
about 18,000 die prematurely each year because they do not have
health insurance.
The President has failed to propose meaningful solutions to
reduce the number of uninsured Americans or make health
coverage more affordable. His proposals would help very few of
the uninsured gain coverage, would primarily benefit those who are
healthy and relatively well off, and would actually make some people
worse off than they are today.
- Tax credit. His tax credit proposal is a false promise for the overwhelming
majority of uninsured Americans. It is too small to make coverage affordable and
would push more people into the individual insurance market, where coverage is
frequently unavailable or unaffordable for people who are older or are in
less-than-perfect health.
- Health Savings Accounts. While masquerading as a way to help the uninsured,
HSAs would primarily serve as a tax shelter for the wealthy and the healthy and
are likely to drive up premiums for individuals who want to keep traditional
employer-sponsored health coverage.
- Association Health Plans. Most small business employees would be worse off if
AHP legislation were enacted: premiums would increase for the vast majority of
small firms, and workers in small businesses that join AHPs would lose important
state consumer protections.
President Bush has proposed weakening Medicaid by turning it into a block
grant. Medicaid is the only source of health coverage for millions of poor and
low-income women, children, individuals with disabilities, and the elderly. Under the
Bush Administration's plan to block-grant Medicaid, states would no longer be assured
that federal funds would reflect increases in the cost of providing services - states
would be left to cover any costs above their annual allotment. The Bush Medicaid plan
also would give states new authority to reduce benefits, cap enrollment, and increase
the amount that Medicaid recipients must pay.
The President has asked seniors to pay a significant premium for a Medicare
drug benefit that contains a large gap in coverage. Seniors will receive drug
coverage that is considerably less generous than Members of Congress receive. The
law has other shortcomings that must be addressed, including the need to add
provisions that will contain rapidly increasing drug costs.
The President has failed to end discriminatory insurance coverage for mental
health services. While President Bush has talked about improving mental health care,
he has failed to deliver. Because of his lack of leadership, efforts by Democrats and a
number of Republicans to require that insurance companies treat mental illnesses in the
same way they treat other medical problems have been blocked.
President Bush's budget priorities are leaving important health programs
short-changed. The President's latest budget proposal calls for substantial cuts in key
health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health
Resources and Services Administration, and would leave many others, such as the
National Institutes of Health, with only nominal funding increases.
