State of the Union Puts Bush on Collision Course With Himself [View All]

[papau]

Ron Brownstein from Sunday's Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-outlook29jan29,1,6073381.column?ctrack=1&cset=true
Ronald Brownstein:
Washington Outlook

State of the Union Puts Bush on Collision Course With Himself (make a political point or make progress against the problems)

<snip>But on crucial issues such as the federal budget deficit, access to healthcare and America's dependence on foreign oil — all concerns Bush is likely to emphasize Tuesday — the nation is unlikely to make significant progress unless the parties narrow their differences. The evidence suggests that the best way to confront these problems is to blend ideas each side favors. The political imperative of greater contrast collides with the substantive imperative of more cooperation.<snip>

But these accounts alone are unlikely to significantly shrink the number of uninsured. Two-thirds of the uninsured come from families with incomes at twice the poverty line, or about $38,614 for a family of four, or less.

Even with tax benefits, health savings accounts "really don't lend themselves to the vast majority of the uninsured, because they don't have the money to pay" the required out-of-pocket expenses, says Bruce Bodaken, chairman and chief executive of Blue Shield of California.

Since most Democrats resist these accounts as a threat to traditional insurance, a Bush plan built on them alone would guarantee plenty of campaign contrast. But a compromise that joined these accounts with expansions of government programs, and perhaps new requirements on employers, could meaningfully expand access to care.<snip>