TOWARDS AN OWNERSHIP SOCIETY:

Republicans Turn Efforts to the Uninsured (ROBERT PEAR, 12/14/03, NY Times)

Fresh from their victory on Medicare, Congressional Republicans and the Bush administration say they are planning a new initiative to help provide health insurance to people under 65 who have no coverage.

The Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, Republican of Tennessee, is developing legislation and said it would be high on his agenda next year.

Just minutes after President Bush signed the Medicare bill on Monday, Dr. Frist said he was turning his attention to the uninsured.

"For my next three years," he said, "that will be the overriding issue. That's the next big challenge."

Details of the package have not been decided. But members of Congress and administration officials said they were considering several proposals: tax credits to help individuals and families buy health insurance; expanded eligibility for existing health programs; and new tools to help small businesses band together and buy insurance.

Democrats are sure to emphasize the issue in the 2004 elections. The Census Bureau recently reported that the number of people without health insurance shot up last year by 2.4 million, the largest increase in a decade, to 43.6 million. From 2000 to 2002, the number of uninsured rose 9.5 percent, as health costs surged and many workers lost coverage provided by employers.

President Bush fulfilled a campaign promise by adding a drug benefit to Medicare, and Republican pollsters say that with a proposal on the uninsured, he could cement his leadership role in an area of policy long claimed by Democrats.

Universal Medical Savings Accounts, starting from birth, with the states and the Feds making the annual contribution for those in poverty.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 13, 2003 5:03 PM