Bush Cuts Children's Health While Rewarding HMOs

[Guest guest]

===============================THE DAILY MIS-LEAD< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37840 >===============================BUSH CUTS CHILDREN'S HEALTH WHILE REWARDING HMO'SDuring today's trip to Tennessee [1], President Bush will hold a photo-op ata children's hospital and then attend a $2,000-per-person fundraiser at thehome of a top health insurance executive [2]. The two events provide aperfect display of how the President has misled America on health carepolicy: at the same time that he has tried to slash funding for children'shospitals, his budget lavishes billions of dollars on health insurancecompanies who fund his campaign.During today's first event, the President is expected to praise children'shospitals. However, his budget this year proposes to freeze funding forgrants to these hospitals, preventing their federal grants from keeping pacewith inflation [3]. He also proposes a $94 million cut to the CommunityAccess Program [4] - effectively eliminating another program that providesgrants to children's hospitals in need. And he is trying to slash $158million (68%) from training grants for specialties that include pediatrics[5]. These efforts are consistent with his past policies: last year, thePresident proposed cutting $86 million (30%) from grants to children'shospitals [6]. And in 2002, he proposed to cut $35 million (14%) from grantsfor children's hospitals to train pediatricians [7].After his photo-op at the children's hospital, the President will attend afundraiser at the home of Clay Jackson [8], an executive [9] at a healthinsurance company called BB & T [10]. Unlike the children's hospitals whosebudgets have been cut, insurance executives like Jackson have a lot to thankthe President for. For instance, the President crafted a Medicare bill thatgives health insurance companies a new $130 billion subsidy [11], whileforcing many seniors off traditional Medicare and into HMOs [12]. ThePresident has also done nothing to address the skyrocketing costs of healthcare, sitting by last year as HMOs raised premiums by 13% [13] and raked inan extra $6.7 billion from Americans [14].Sources:1. "Bush to pump health care, campaign coffers with Nashville visit",WATE.com, 05/27/2004, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37841.2. "Bush expected in Nashville for Republican fund-raiser", Nashville CityPaper, 05/11/2004,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37842.3. AAMC.org, 02/06/2004,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37843.4. House Budget Committee,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37844.5. House Budget Committee,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37844.6. Democratic Policy Committee, 05/20/2004,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37845.7. Children's Defense Fund Action Council,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37846.8. OpenSecrets.Org,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37847.9. "BB & T to Acquire Nashville-Based Agency", Insurance Journal, 08/04/2003,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37848.10. BB & T, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37849.11. F.A.I.R. Medicare,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37850.12. Public Citizen, 02/13/2003,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37851.13. "Health costs skyrocket", CNN Money, 09/22/2003,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37852.14. "HMO profits jumped 52%", CBS Marketwatch, 05/04/2004,http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37853.Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion. -->< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338755 & l=37854 >===========================================================Subscribe to the Daily Mislead! Go to http://www.misleader.org and enteryour e-mail address in the "Receive the Daily Mislead" box in thetop-left corner of the page.To send an email to latest with only the