What is the deal with Bush and health insurance?

Question

I heard somewhere that his plan would mean that most or all companies would stop offering health insurance to their employees. Is this true? How can this be a good thing? If not true what is the actual plan?

This is what our helath care system is based on. You work you have insurance if you are sick you use it. You pay your company pays you get insurance. What could an individual do without it. Thousands upon thousands would die very quickly including my son. I think they should correct the health care system first.

Answer 1

He doesnt want the big companies having to pay any for health insurance for their employees. Typical Republican

Answer 2

Under the plan, the government would provide tax deductions of $7,500 — and $15,000 for families — regardless of whether they get coverage at work or pay for it on their own.

Under the president's plan, employer-provided health insurance policies worth more than those deduction limits would be taxed. The proposal also would take away some federal money now going to support hospitals and other public health facilities and use it to help cover those who have no insurance.

As an employer myself - Health care for my people is an enormous expense. My accountant has been pushing me to cut my costs by pushing more of the expense to the employees. I've been resisting but most other employers in my area already have. It's damn tempting to do it and if the employees get a big tax break from the government it will definitely push many employers into it to save costs.

Answer 3

Bush's premise he stated in speech:
Health costs have risen because people can AFFORD TO PAY FOR THEM due to health insurance

He's offering a limited tax deduction for people who have bought their own individual health insurance policies.
At the same time, he is taking away the tax-free status of employer provided health insurance and replacing it with the same tax deduction - for some people with the worst plans, they will have an improvement.
For employees who's companies still offer good strong health insurance family plans - it will cost money and be an incentive for those companies to curb their offerings. Then more people will be forced to buy individual policies and the large group plans and their ability to bargain will be BUSTED.

A perk for the Insurance Industries donations to the Republican party.

Answer 4

It's a half-assed pipe dream. It actually gives relief to employers by passing more of the costs of to the employees. It essentially allows the employer or an employee to set up a health care account that with a greater tax break for out of pocket expenses rather than the current situation where you buy into a plan and are covered for all needs. It puts the onus of deciding what health care needs an individual gets on the individual rather than what a doctor recommends forcing the patient to make choices on what care they will receive based on the availability of funds in their account.

Basically you become your own doctor without a coverage plan for any long term expenses.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_si_060130_the_big_flaw_in_bush.htm

I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that our current problems are related to the number of hypochondriac's that have care and get unnecessary tests despite their doctor's advice. Essentially if your a wealthy individual who can afford health care it becomes another tax break, instead of only allowed tax relief for monies spent which amout to 7.5% of your income, anything you spend is tax deductible.

Expecting those without care to generate monies for a plan is absurd. It offer no relief to anyone without care and that is what the heart of the issue is. Eliminating the tax cap on Social Security(at 90K now) along with a standardized billing criteria would generate the funds to fully fund a National program.

Consider this. Blue Cross/Blue Shield's in Massachusetts alone--has more administrative costs then entire Canadian National plan--WTF!!

Answer 5

Gov. Mitt Romney, Republican become waiting to bypass an sensible well being plan for his state which no longer purely covers very almost each body yet become fiscally more suitable for the state! starting to be well being care expenditures at the prompt are not purely a appropriate or duty, that is a fiscally responsible duty. And does the U. S. truly want to be in the back of different advanced countries?

Answer 6

For people who have health insurance the plan would give a $7500 for individuals and $15000 for families tax credit unless your employer pays more than $7500 for an individual plan or $15000 for a family plan for you. If this is the case the amount that the employer pays for your health plan will be considered taxable income. For example, If you make $40,000 per year and your employer pays $5,000 for your heath insurance than your taxable income will only be $32,500. If you make $40,000 per year and your employer pays $10,000 for your heath insurance for a single plan your taxable income will be $50,000.

This plan is the most intelligent thing that has ever come from Bush. For people who get heath insurance from work they will get a tax break to help them pay for premiums and co-pays. For those people that get no heath insurance through work they will get a tax break to help them buy insurance. The only people that will be hurt by this plan are those who have very, very expensive health benefits provided to them by their employer. My health plan was just rated the second best in the country and my employer only contributes $3,000 per year to it. The coverage is great and the cost of the plan is low. Any plan that costs more than $7,500 for a single person or $15,000 for a family is incredibally overpriced. The company that offers the plan either is making a huge profit or is mismanaging the funds. This policy would force employers to drop unefficient plans like this and would force insurance companies to come up with better options. Perhaps best of all it would most likely force auto labor unions to reconsider their rediculous demands for health insurance. This would allow American automakers to offer more resonable plans to their empoloyees and would save then money, making them more competitive in the world market.

The unfortunate thing is that most people hate Bush so much they wont listen to anything he has to say anymore. I urge all of you Bush haters to research this plan more because it really does make sense. I dont really like Bush either, but if he is going to do something to finally lower taxes for the middle class we should support that.

Answer 7

This is absolutely the worst Idea to come out of the Bush administration ever.

By making employer-provided health insurance taxible income, many, if not most, employers will have to drop their insurance programs, thus actually increasing the number of uninsured middle-class working Americans.

This is yet another frontal assault in Bush's war on the middle class!

Answer 8

If you recall in all his other SUTO speeches, he had some ideas that were suppose to be good for America. Well all those ideas left his brain before he got home those nights. This is probably more of the same old BS.

Answer 9

i dont think hes got a plan.i mean he had almost 8 years to control health care and its still out of control.the elderly has to decide on either buy groceries or medicine.

Answer 10

He is trying to distract everyone from the fact no one likes his plan for Iraq.