CHL Compiles Reaction to Bush’s FY 2003 Budget Proposal
California Healthline has compiled some reactions to President Bush's budget proposal from newspapers and health policy organizations. The reactions appear in alphabetical order.
Editorials
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Arizona Daily Star: President Bush's budget is an attempt to "have it all." By increasing defense spending and making his tax cuts permanent, the budget would create a deficit, but that deficit would be "much larger" if the proposal did not also cut back on "hundreds" of health and education projects, the editorial notes. While Bush "undoubtedly knows" the budget cannot handle both increased spending and tax cuts and still protect Social Security, "his budget doesn't reflect that knowledge," the Daily Star concludes (Arizona Daily Star, 2/5).
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New York Times: Bush's budget proposal "undermines the security of the nation's social safety net" and the government's ability to fund some of its "basic responsibilities" over the next 20 years. By funding military projects and including tax cuts, the budget "jeopardizes" Social Security and Medicare. Saying that the administration defends its plan to "siphon" funds from Medicare and Social Security by saying both programs "were heading toward insolvency anyway," the Times writes that such a policy is an attempt to "starve" the programs so that the administration can later "fix" them by "privatizing them in ways that favor the well-to-do" (New York Times, 2/5).
- Washington Post: While the budget recognizes that Medicare and Social Security costs will increase in about 10 years, the plan "makes no provision" for the anticipated expenses. Instead of funding the two programs, the plan "clings" to Bush's tax cuts and proposes spending reductions that "Congress will reverse." The editorial says the tax cuts will "stay," but spending will also increase, which will leave the nation with a budget "burden" in the next 10 years and "fewer resources to meet them" (Washington Post, 2/5).
Organizations
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American Cancer Society: Fred Mickelson, chair of the society's board, said, "The American Cancer Society encourages Members of Congress to follow the president's lead and stay committed to initiatives which will help eliminate cancer as a public health problem and advance the cause of biomedical research as a whole" (American Cancer Society release, 2/4).
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Catholic Health Association: CHA is "pleased" that Bush's plan allocates funding to decrease the number of uninsured and that it does not cut Medicare funding. Noting that the budget calls for $89 billion to expand insurance coverage, CHA said that Congress should consider the proposal "a 'floor' and not a 'ceiling'" (CHA release, 2/4).
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Federation of American Hospitals: Chip Kahn, the organization's president, said, "The President's budget proposal is a strong and appropriate response to the challenges facing the nation's health care system. Equally important, it avoids using Medicare funds set aside for hospital care for other purposes. We urge the Congress to follow the president's lead" (FAH release, 2/4).
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Health Insurance Association of America: Donald Young, the group's president, said, President Bush's plan "to provide $89 billion in new tax credits to help individuals purchase coverage is a sound starting point for action on this problem." Young added that Bush's plan "to provide tax deductions to those who buy long-term care insurance, and tax benefits for those who care for a sick family member at home, will help people plan for and cope with these catastrophic costs" (HIAA release, 2/4).
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Human Rights Campaign: While pleased with increases in funding for research at NIH and for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program, HRC "expressed disappointment" that the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Research Emergency Act and other HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are "getting shortchanged" (HRC release, 2/4).
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National Council on the Aging: Bush's budget plan is "deeply disappoint[ing]," as it does not provide "sufficient" funding for prescription drug coverage through Medicare. The organization says some money in the budget would be better spent on a drug benefit, as Bush's proposal for $591 billion in additional tax cuts is "not need[ed]." In addition, NCOA has "serious concerns" about proposals to create a single deductible for Medicare Parts A and B and to cut home health care reimbursements by 15% (NCOA release, 2/4).
- Taxpayers for Common Sense: Noting that Medicare and Social Security will be "taxed" when baby boomers begin retiring in about 10 years, TCS Executive Director Joe Theissen said that the "problem" with Bush's budget is that it "does nothing" to prepare for this "economic burden" while returning the country to the budget deficits "of the 1980s" (TCS release, 2/4).