Abaixo a nova proposta da administração Bush apresentada ontem, dia 23/01/07 no Congresso sobre saúde. A frase provoca riso: os americanos têm a sorte de ter o mais avançado e inovador sistema de saúde do mundo. Mas, no restante representa um recuo das posições anteriores do Partido Republicano nessa área, bem como na questão ambiental. A taxa de aprovação de 21%, como divulgado antes da fala presidencial, induziu a mudança de pontos programáticos.
A proposta de redução da dependência da gasolina e diesel e, substituição por fontes alternativas terá impacto (positivo?) na economia brasileira e (negativo?) no ambiente e, merece análise séria por especialistas em economia e ambiente.
Health Care
Americans are fortunate to have the most advanced and innovative health care system in the world.
The President's Plan Includes Two Parts: Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance So All Americans Get The Same Tax Breaks For Health Insurance And Helping States Make Affordable Private Health Insurance Available To Their Citizens.
1. The President's Plan Will Help More Americans Afford Health Insurance By Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance – Like The Standard Deduction For Dependents. The President's primary goal is to make health insurance more affordable, allowing more Americans to purchase coverage. The 1/23/07 White House Office Of Communications President's proposal levels the playing field for Americans who purchase health insurance on their own rather than
through their employers, providing a substantial tax benefit for all those who now have health insurance purchased on the individual market. It also lowers taxes for all currently uninsured Americans who decide to purchase health insurance – making insurance more affordable and providing a significant incentive to all working Americans to purchase coverage, thereby reducing the number of uninsured Americans.
! Under The President's Proposal, Families With Health Insurance Will Not Pay Income Or Payroll Taxes On The First $15,000 In Compensation And Singles Will Not Pay Income Or Payroll Taxes On The First $7,500.
o At the same time, health insurance would be considered taxable income. This is a change for those who now have health insurance through their jobs. o The President's proposal will result in lower taxes for about 80 percent of employer-provided policies. Those with more generous policies (20 percent) will have the option to adjust their compensation to have lower premiums and higher wages to offset the tax change.
2. The President's Affordable Choices Initiative Will Help States Make Basic Private Health Insurance Available And Will Provide Additional Help To Americans Who Cannot Afford Insurance Or Who Have Persistently High Medical Expenses. For States that provide their citizens with access to basic, affordable private health insurance, the President's Affordable Choices Initiative will direct Federal funding to assist States in helping their poor and hard-to-insure citizens afford private insurance. By allocating current Federal health care funding more effectively, the President's plan accomplishes this goal without creating a new Federal entitlement or new Federal spending. These Two Policies Will Work Together To Help More Americans Afford Basic Private Coverage. The President's proposed standard deduction for health insurance will help make basic private health insurance more affordable for families and individuals – whether they have insurance through their jobs or purchase insurance on their own. For those who remain unable to afford coverage, the President's Affordable Choices Initiative will help eligible States assist their poor and hard-toinsure citizens in purchasing private health insurance. There Are Many Other Ways That Congress Can Help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts, help small businesses through Association Health Plans, reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology, encourage price transparency, and protect good doctors from predatory lawsuits by passing medical liability reform.
Um comentário:
President Bush's new focus on shrinking the ranks of the uninsured is appealing to Democrats and others who have long hoped for a renewed debate over how to extend health insurance – but Mr. Bush's specific plans still face criticism.
"While the administration's current proposal is deeply flawed, the attention that the president is devoting to the issue could signal real progress in addressing the health-care crisis," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass), who has worked many years on health issues.
Mr. Bush's proposal would change how the tax break for health insurance is calculated. Critics said that approach would do little to reduce the ranks of the uninsured and could undermine the employer-based insurance system by shifting many Americans from stable employer-based insurance, where the risk is spread over an entire work force, into the unstable individual insurance market, where people are evaluated and charged based on their individual health and projected expenses.
If workers can get the same tax break for buying insurance on their own as they would get if they got insurance through work, employers may be tempted to drop insurance plans altogether. That could spell trouble for less-healthy workers who would likely pay higher premiums than they would if they were part of a group plan, critics say. "In the individual insurance market, people will be denied coverage because of family history, existing illnesses, or genetic makeup," predicted Rep. Pete Stark (D., Calif.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's health subcommittee.
Critics also argue it would also do little to help those without insurance now. Most of the uninsured have relatively low incomes, meaning the new tax deduction for purchasing insurance on the open market is less valuable for them than for those who earn more. "Since most uninsured Americans pay low or no taxes, they would receive little help from this plan," said the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Mr. Bush's second proposal would divert dollars that now support hospitals that care for the poor into state-created programs that subsidized basic insurance plans. That, too, came in for criticism and will surely be fought by the hospitals who rely on the existing programs. "The president's proposal pulls the rug out from under safety net hospitals that care for some of our nation's most vulnerable people," the American Hospital Association said
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