Kerry Press Release: BUSH: Miscalculator-in-Chief on Health Care

[Skinner]

For Immediate Release
August 30, 2004

GEORGE W. BUSH: Miscalculator-in-Chief on Health Care

Today in New Hampshire, George W. Bush will try to make the case that he has a plan for health care, starting with malpractice premiums. And what have Americans gotten for it? Health care costs have skyrocketed with American families paying 49% more for health care than they did four years ago. The typical health care premium has increased more than $2600 a year and 5 million more Americans have no health insurance coverage. Like he did in Iraq, when it comes to health care, Bush has miscalculated.

Kerry-Edwards spokesman Phil Singer said: "The Bush health care plan doesn't help families deal with skyrocketing costs or bring down insurance rates. In fact, the states that have tried approaches comparable to what Bush is suggesting haven't seen lower premiums for their doctors, or seen health care costs overall decrease. With most experts deriding the Bush proposals as exaggerated or incomplete, George Bush is the miscalculator-in-chief when it comes to health care and so many other issues."

MISCALCULATED PLAN LEADS TO MISLEADING CLAIMS

An agenda that is “exaggerated, incomplete or contrary to widely accepted analyses”. Four years of a Bush administration has meant nothing but misleading claims and bad results for middle class families. According to the Washington Post, “Health experts inside and out of the administration say many of the assertions Bush makes about his first-term health care record and his health proposals for a second term are exaggerated, incomplete or contrary to widely accepted analyses.” Here are just a few things New Hampshire residents can expect to hear from Bush today and the reality behind his misleading assertions:

Bush rhetoric: it’s all just malpractice. Too many lawsuits without merit are being filed against doctors and hospitals, forcing them to practice defensive medicine, driving good doctors out of practice, and driving up health care costs for everyone. I believe people who have a legitimate claim must have their day in court. But to make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone, we must reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits and limit excessive jury awards. No patient has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit.

Reality: No real plan. Bush is trying to distract attention from his failure to address rising health care costs. States that have tried approaches similar to what Bush is suggesting have not seen lower premiums for doctors, and have not seen overall lower health care costs. According to Weiss Ratings, the median annual premium between 1991 and 2002 increased more in states with caps (48.2 percent) than in states without caps (35.9 percent). (June 2003)

Bush Rhetoric: I have signed legislation that will help. I signed legislation creating HSAs, which will help individuals and businesses save a substantial amount on health insurance premiums and gain more control over their health care spending.

Reality: HSAs Won’t Expand Coverage. HSAs will divide Americans between the sick and healthy with affluent workers choosing HSAs while sicker workers will tend to remain in comprehensive coverage. The people remaining in comprehensive coverage are more expensive to insure, driving their premiums higher. Independent estimates suggest HSAs will leave more than 1.4 million workers currently insured without coverage. (Journal of the American Medical Association, 6/5/96; Urban Institute, April 1996; American Academy of Actuaries, May 1995; Consumers Union, 8/10/00; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/10/04)

Bush Rhetoric: I have proposed a five-year plan to fund 1,200 new and expanded health center sites to serve an additional 6.1 million people by 2006. Today, we are well on the way to meeting that goal, with more than 600 new or expanded health centers delivering care to 3 million additional Americans, including many uninsured and low-income children and families in medically underserved communities.

Reality: Uninsured Up, Health Costs Up. Who is George Bush trying to fool? Since Bush took office, 5.2 million more Americans have lost their health insurance with 1.4 million people having lost coverage in the last year alone. In total, 45 million people are now uninsured, as indicated by the new Census numbers.

MISCALCULATED PLAN LEADS TO HIGHER HEALTH CARE COSTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:

$3,085 Estimated Total Family Premium Increase. In New Hampshire, the total family premium for health insurance has increased by $3,085 to $10,611. (2000 MEPS Data from the Agency for Healthcare Quality Research projected forward using KFF National Premium Increase)Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 2003)

28,000 Lost Their Health Care Under Bush. Since 2000, 28,000 people in New Hampshire have lost their health insurance coverage. (US Census, Current Population Survey, 2000, 2002)

131,000 People Are Uninsured. There are 131,000 people in New Hampshire who do not have health insurance. (US Census, Current Population Survey, 2002)

Only 5,921 More Insured Under Bush Plan. According to George Bush’s plan, only 5,921 more people will be covered in New Hampshire. (Kenneth Thorpe, “Proposals for Covering the Uninsured and Reducing Health Care Costs from President Bush and Senator Kerry,” 5/5/04)

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[A_Possum]

1. My husband and i pay 40k/year for health insurance

Out of pocket. With 3k deductibles. And his is only hospitalization. This is because he once had a stage one melanoma mole removed, 15 years ago, so now he can't get comprehensive because "he's had cancer." We are both self-employed.

We some of the upper income types who are supposed to be getting tax breaks, but the way our health insurance has gone up astronomically in the past four years, we're worse off than we were. And frankly I don't see much tax break either.

Thanks, Bush, for your great work on health care.