Reports indicate that in his State of the Union addres on January 31 Pres. George Bush will focus on cutting healthcare costs. Kaiser Health, in a summary of these news reports, says:

“Bush administration officials have indicated that the president’s Jan. 31 State of the Union address will focus on curbing rising health care costs, among other health care issues, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

“Bush officials — ‘echoing hints Bush has provided in recent speeches’ — have outlined the president’s health care agenda to be presented in the address, according to AP/Newsday.”

One trend is toward more privatization:

“Issues include raising the amount allowed to accumulate in existing health savings accounts; offering additional tax breaks for those who purchase private insurance on their own….”

In addition, AP/Newsday reports that Bush will talk about “establishing more portability for health insurance when people change jobs; and providing easier access to information regarding physician pricing and quality. In addition, Bush also will propose increased efforts to adopt electronic medical records, a cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice verdicts and the ability for small businesses to pool the purchasing of health coverage across state lines, AP/Newsday reports.”

Source:
President Bush’s State of the Union Speech To Focus on Strategies for Reducing Health Care Costs – Kaisernetwork.org Jan 19, 2006