Following are more reactions to proposed tax-code changes related to health insurance expected to be part of tomorrow's State of the Union Address. (Click here for reactions over the weekend.)
"This is literally taking money away from the poor.... You are taking money away from children covered by Medicaid, and you could throw the safety institutions we are counting on being there for everybody into financial jeopardy."
--Peters Willson, vice president for public policy with the National Assn. of Children's Hospitals, quoted in the Los Angeles Times
"The President's so-called health care proposal won't help the uninsured, most of whom have limited incomes and are already in low tax brackets.... But it will hurt middle-income Americans, whose employers will shift even more cost and risk to their employees... As health care costs continue to rise, more and more people will be deemed to have ‘gold-plated’ coverage, even as insurance companies pay a smaller share of health care costs. The result? Higher taxes, higher premiums, and higher costs for working families. "
--Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif.
"America's hospitals are pleased that President Bush has focused attention on uninsured people. But the President's proposals are unworkable for many and not focused on those most in need. The tax proposal would have the effect of driving people to the small group insurance market--a market that has proven unstable. For many people, even with a tax break, coverage remains unaffordable and out of reach. Additionally, by reducing funding, the President's proposal pulls the rug out from under safety net hospitals that care for some of our nation's most vulnerable people."
--Rich Umbdenstock. President, American Hospital Association
