Bush touts tax breaks for health care in KC today

[proud2BlibKansan]

el pretzeldente came to Kansas City today to talk about health care reform. He visited a hospital in an upper income suburban area that has big screen plasma TVs in every room. I seriously doubt any poor or uninsured are treated there.

President Bush told small business owners and health officials in Lee’s Summit Thursday that new tax breaks will help Americans buy insurance, keep health care costs low, and maintain private control of health care decisions.

“We believe the private sector is the best delivery of health care,” Bush told members of a selected audience at St. Luke’s Hospital, East, in Lee’s Summit, Mo. “We know there’s a role for the federal government, but it’s not to dictate, it’s not to be the decision-maker,” he said.

In his State of the Union speech Tuesday, Bush proposed taxing employer-provided health care benefits, after allowing a $7,500 deduction for individuals and $15,000 for families. He said the plan would help individuals buy insurance, while keeping health care costs low.

Bush traveled to the hospital to discuss the plans with small business owners, Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt and St. Luke’s CEO Richard Hastings.

Critics say the plan could raise taxes for some people with good health care plans and could convince some employers to drop health insurance for their workers.

Earlier, Bush toured the hospital, meeting with staff to talk about use of computers and technology to cut costs. “Medicine is finally catching up with the rest of America in the use of information technology, particularly this facility here,” he said.

Around a dozen protesters picketed across the street from the hospital.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16546142.htm

pictures
http://www.kansascity.com/multimedia/kansascity/KRT_Packages/slideshow/BushVisit_012507_MLR/index.html

video
http://pointers.audiovideoweb.com/stcasx/il80win10138/012507_BushVisit.wmv/play.asx

In ignored news today, a bus full of military families and peace activists left KC for the march in DC on Saturday. The organizers of the trip offered to let el pretzeldente ride back to DC on their bus. We believe that a 20 hour bus ride with these peace marchers could be all it takes to convince him how wrong his war is. We even offered to pay for his meals along the way. The Code Pink girls who prepared snack bags for the bus riders said they would have gladly made a special bag of presidential snacks for him.

[JDPriestly]

1. Bush's plan avoids the real issue.

Everyone should put money into the healthcare pot. Young, old, rich, poor, healthy or sick. We should all be paying a fair share based on our incomes. Our healthcare costs are so high because a lot of healthy people don't have insurance. They think they don't need it. When they get children and when they get older or sick, they suddenly realize they need it, and then they can't afford it.

In addition, many people just don't make enough money to afford any kind of health care.

$60,000 barely covers the most basic costs for a family of four in California. A family that size with that income isn't paying a huge amount of income tax. It is paying a lot of social security, a good sized mortgage or rent and a lot for transportation. Lots of families earning that money cannot afford the cost of healthcare for the whole family.

Bush's plan won't help them much at all. If they are buying a house, they already get a deduction for the interest and taxes. Bush's proposal is irrelevant for the people who really need help. It's just another Republican red herring.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

2. K&R . . . . great job, all of you.

I've got some preznential snacks for him . . . says IAMS on the bag.

[Rage for Order]

3. Let me get this straight...

Dipshit is calling his plan a "health care tax break"?

From the article: "Bush proposed taxing employer-provided health care benefits, after allowing a $7,500 deduction for individuals and $15,000 for families."

Someone please explain to me, how is that a tax break? All of the doubletalk and newspeak coming out of this administration is confusing me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Oh it's easy

It's called No Rich Republican Left Behind. Or in this case, No Rich Republican Left Without Affordable Health Care.

[ComeAndTakeIt]

4. Hey, Mr Bush:

FUCK YOU!

$178 for a recent, simple blood test was about 9% of my take-home income for the month.

FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!


(sorry)

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Amen!!

Please don't apologize.

[momster]

6. Govern't not Decider, I am, say Prez

“We know there’s a role for the federal government, but it’s not to dictate, it’s not to be the decision-maker,” he said. 'Cause that's mah job. Ah'll decide who's gettin' that insewerance. Terry Schiavo, yep. Restayas, not so much.'

[scarface2004]

7. i love watching chimps wearing suits....

and tossing feces about..cracks me up!

[Philosoraptor]

9. I smelled him.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. There he goes wasting jet fuel again!

He needs to "sacrifice!"