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Skriven 2007-01-22 23:31:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0701223) for Mon, 2007 Jan 22
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Fact Sheet: Affordable, Accessible, and Flexible Health Coverage
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 22, 2007
Fact Sheet: Affordable, Accessible, and Flexible Health Coverage
ÿÿÿÿÿ State of the Union 2007 ÿÿÿÿÿ
In The State Of The Union Address, President Bush Will Announce His
Proposals To Make Basic, Private Health Insurance Available And Affordable
For More Americans.ÿ Americans are fortunate to have the most advanced and
innovative health care system in the world. ÿThe President's plan will make
private health insurance more affordable and increase the number of
Americans with health insurance.ÿ The plan will also help our Nation move
away from reliance on government-run health care and toward a system in
which Americans have better access to basic, affordable private insurance,
and increased ownership of their medical decisions.
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.ÿThe President's
primary goal is to make health insurancemore affordable, allowing more
Americans to purchase coverage. The 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.ÿ 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.ÿ
þ 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.ÿ
þ At the same time, health insurance would be considered taxable
income.ÿ This is a change for those who now have health
insurance through their jobs.ÿ
þ The President's proposal will result in lower taxes for about
80 percent of employer-provided policies.
þ 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.ÿFor 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 citizensÿafford private
insurance.ÿ 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.ÿ 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.ÿ For those who remain unable to afford
coverage, the President's Affordable Choices Initiative will help eligible
States assist their poor and hard-to-insure citizens in purchasing private
health insurance.
Unfair Subsidies In The Current Tax Code Are Making It Harder For Many
Americans To Afford Health Insurance
The Tax Code Now Penalizes People Who Do Not Get Health Insurance Through
Their Employers.ÿ Those who buy insurance on their own pay higher taxes for
insurance than those who can get it through their job.ÿ The self-employed
pay no income taxes on their premiums, but because they still owe payroll
taxes, they are also disadvantaged compared to those who get health
insurance from their employer.ÿ No one should have to pay higher taxes just
because they do not work for an employer that provides health insurance.ÿ
Under the current system, those without employer-provided health insurance
including the unemployed, retirees without retiree coverage, and workers
at companies that do not offer health insurance (most of which are small
businesses) may have to pay substantially more for health insurance than
those with employer-provided plans, a cost which many cannot afford.
The Tax Code Now Penalizes People Who Choose Basic, Affordable Insurance
Policies Over More Expensive Plans.ÿ The more expensive the health
insurance plan you receive through your employer, the more tax relief you
get.ÿ This encourages many workers to choose lower wages and more expensive
health insurance than they would choose if the tax code were not distorting
their decision.ÿ One result is that insurance premiums rise, and many
Americans cannot afford the coverage they need.ÿ Each family and worker
should choose the balance of wages and health insurance that is right for
them, without the tax code distorting their decisions.
Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance To
Make Private Health Insurance More Affordableÿÿ
The President's Plan Will Reform The Tax Code To Help More Americans Afford
Basic Private Health Insurance.ÿThe President proposes a standard tax
deduction for health insurance (from income and payroll taxes) for every
family and individual who has a private health insurance policy, regardless
of the policy's cost or whether the policy was purchased individually or
through an employer.ÿ
þ The President's Proposal Would Replace The Current Tax System, Which
Favors The Most Expensive Employer-Provided Plans.ÿ All families
covered by a private family health insurance policy, whether purchased
on their own or through their employer, will pay no income or payroll
taxes on their first $15,000 of compensation.ÿ All individuals covered
by any single private health insurance policy will pay no income or
payroll taxes on their first $7,500 of compensation.
þ At the same time, health insurance would be considered taxable
income.ÿ This is a change for those who now have health insurance
through their jobs.ÿ
þ Under current law, companies deduct health insurance costs and
wages as legitimate business expenses.ÿ The President's proposal
would not change this.
þ Most Americans Who Purchase Health Insurance Through Their Employers
Will See Their Tax Bills Go Down.ÿ The President's proposal will result
in lower taxes for about 80 percent of employer-provided policies.ÿ
More than 100 million Americans who now get health insurance through
their job will see their tax bills go down, and their health insurance
will therefore be more affordable.ÿ 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.
þ The President's Proposal Will Lower Taxes For Millions Of Americans Who
Now Purchase Health Insurance On Their Own, Making Their Insurance More
Affordable.ÿ The President's proposal would level the playing field by
giving all Americans the same standard deduction, whether they get
health insurance through their job, or buy it on their own.ÿ The
average tax bill will go down by more than $3,650 when the policy would
be implemented in 2009ÿfor those families who now purchase health
insurance on their own.ÿ This will make health insurance dramatically
more affordable for the millions of Americans who do not get health
insurance through their job and instead buy it on their own.ÿ
þ The President's Proposal Will Lower Taxes For All Uninsured Americans
Who Purchase Health Insurance, Helping Millions Of Uninsured Americans
Afford Coverage.ÿ This proposal will lower the average tax bill of a
family without health insurance by $3,350 in 2009 effectively
reducing the average cost of health insurance by more than half for
uninsured families trying to buy insurance on their own.
The President's Plan Will Help Rein In Runaway Health Care Spending.ÿ Our
current system distorts people's decisions about how best to spend their
income.ÿ This leads to higher health spending and lower-value care.ÿ The
President's plan would lower the growth in national health care spending
right away, and decrease spending even more in the long run with increased
competition and the development of new cost-effective technologies.
The Proposal Is Budget Neutral Over Ten Years.ÿ The amount of the standard
deduction will increase by the Consumer Price Index each year.
The Affordable Choices Initiative Coverage For Vulnerable Americans
The President's Plan Will Support The Innovative Measures States Are Taking
To Help Those Who Cannot Afford Insurance Or Who Have Persistently High
Medical Expenses.ÿGovernors across the Nation have put forward plans to
make basic private health insurance more accessible for their citizens.ÿ
The President has directed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike
Leavitt to work with Governors and the Congress to make basic private
health insurance available, and to help States pay private health insurance
premiums for the poor and the hard to insure.
The President's Affordable Choices Initiative Provides States Incentives To
Make Basic, Affordable Private Health Insurance Policies Available To Their
Citizens.ÿStates that provide their citizens access to basic, private
insurance at an affordable price would be eligible for funds under the
Affordable Choices Initiative.ÿ The Secretary of HHS would be able to
redirect Federal payments away from institutions and to needy individuals
in eligible States.ÿ These grants would allow States to help low-income
individuals purchase private health insurance.
The President's Proposal Would Shift Federal Funding To Help The Uninsured
Buy Private Insurance And Take More Ownership Of Their Health Care.ÿ The
Federal government now pays many of the health care bills of the uninsured
through a complex mix of subsidies and payments to health care providers,
with the result that billions of taxpayer dollars are spent inefficiently.ÿ
The health care system needs to be transformed in a way that avoids costly
and unnecessary medical visits and emphasizes upfront, affordable private
health insurance options.ÿ Americans should "own" their own health plan,
and money should follow the person rather than the institution.
The Affordable Choices Initiative Will Encourage States To Innovate.ÿ State
participation would be voluntary, and States would design their own
programs, subject to approval by the Secretary of HHS.
þ States could offer direct premium assistance to low-income or
hard-to-insure populations to purchase private health insurance.
þ States could establish high risk pools, or expand existing high risk
pools, for very sick individuals who are deemed uninsurable in the
non-group market.
þ States could help facilitate pooling of individuals and small
businesses and organize their access to private health plans.
America Is A Compassionate Nation, And We Will Continue To Take Care Of The
Most Vulnerable.ÿ For the elderly, disabled, low-income pregnant mothers,
and children needing protection, the Federal government provides coverage
through Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP the State Children's Health
Insurance Program.ÿ Under this Administration, 2 million more children have
gained coverage through SCHIP.ÿ
Indirect Benefits Of Both The Standard Deduction For Health Insurance And
The Affordable Choices Initiative
In Addition To The Direct Benefits Of These Policies, There Are Indirect
Benefits Of Both The Standard Deduction For Health Insurance And The
Affordable Choices Initiative That Will Lead To Cheaper Health Insurance
Being Available To All Working Americans.
þ The standard deduction for health insurance will encourage more people
to buy insurance in the individual market.ÿ As more people join the
individual market, the market will become more competitive and prices
will come down.ÿ
þ To take advantage of funds under the Affordable Choices Initiative,
States must take steps to make health insurance more affordable within
their States, such as reducing benefit or premium mandates.ÿ
þ In addition, other policies proposed by the President like Association
Health Plans and the ability to buy insurance across State lines would
make the individual insurance market even more competitive and drive
prices down further.ÿ
The President's Policies Are Helping Make Health Care More Affordable And
Accessible
The President Is Working To Help Increase The Transparency Of America's
Health Care System And Empower Americans To Find Better Value And Better
Care.ÿHe has directed Federal agencies to share information with
beneficiaries about prices paid to health care providers for procedures and
about the quality of services provided by doctors, hospitals, and other
health care providers.ÿ Increased transparency about prices and quality
will help bring more competition to health care, restraining its rising
costs.
The President Is Working To Improve The Adoption Of Health Information
Technology.ÿElectronic health records reduce costs and improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of medical treatment.ÿ In 2004, the President
launched an initiative to make electronic health records available to most
Americans within the next 10 years.ÿ Last year, he directed Federal
agencies to use improved health IT systems to facilitate the rapid exchange
of health information.
The President Has Proposed Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).ÿHSAs
allow people to save money for health care tax-free, and to take these
accounts with them if they move from job to job.ÿIn December, the President
signed legislation to bring HSAs within the reach of more Americans.
The President Has Proposed Strengthening The Buying Power Of America's
Small Businesses By Forming Association Health Plans (AHPs).ÿSmall
businesses, as well as civic and community groups, should be allowed to
band together in AHPs to get the same discounts big companies receive.
The President Supports Permitting The Purchase Of Health Insurance Across
State Lines.ÿAmericans should be allowed to buy the best health insurance
for themselves, based on their own circumstances, instead of being limited
to only the policies available in their State.ÿ
The President Has Proposed Medical Liability Reforms To Limit Costly And
Frivolous Lawsuits.ÿThese lawsuits are wasting scarce resources, increasing
health care costs, and driving doctors out of business.ÿ
The President Is Promoting Prevention, Wellness, And Fitness.ÿLiving a
healthier life dramatically reduces illness and disease.ÿ The President
encourages all Americans to lead a healthy lifestyle to prevent disease and
improve their overall quality of life.
ÿ
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