Bush II addresses health... in America!

Bush II's 2007 State of the Union speech came just a couple of weeks after his "21,500 Troops Speech" which called for a "surge" of a little more than 20,000 more troops in Iraq. (This oddly small number was chosen for the simple reason that no more troops were available.)

His Dubyaness decided to divert attention away from the quagmire in Iraq by addressing domestic priorities for the first time in his 6-plus-year reign.

His Dubyaness decided to divert attention away from the quagmire in Iraq by addressing domestic priorities for the first time in his 6-plus-year reign. The weekend before the speech, he issued an extraordinarily poorly received health care plan. He would offer a $7,500 tax deduction to singles and $15,000 to families if they bought any health insurance from any source. This would be funded by making what his spokespersons described as "gold-plated" and "Bentley" employer-provided plans (i.e., policies which cost more than $15,000/year.) The theory is that the tax deduction would create a surge of demand for individual health insurance polices, which the health insurance industry would meet by supplying affordable plans. (There are a few bugs in the plan, beginning with the fact that a tax deduction is of no use to low-paid workers who pay little or no federal income tax already, and ending with the fact that health insurers aren't meeting the demand which is already out there.)

It is not clear what the purpose of this plan is, since the Congress is highly unlikely to pass it. Perhaps Bush II is merely laying the groundwork for attack ads in 2008. Or, perhaps he is mollifying the lobbyist for the health insurance industry. (It is interesting that his spokespersons speak about the "success" of Medicare Part D, which is in fact an extraordinarily unpopular and ineffective program.)

(click here for more info in the speech)