Your story on medical accounts neglected to mention that hospitals charge the uninsured persons 3 to 4 times more as those with insurance. Insurance companies have pre negotiated discounts with most hospitals. This means that accounts saving or not, folks would be unfairly hurt financially. Far more then the tax benifit.

Pierre

I am a Katrina survivor with a husband that has been on disability for 12 months and he has to wait another 12 months for medicare, and a son who was one of the "children left behind", and still have no job due to Katrina, a damaged home and very low morale. Wake up, Washington! Voters do have memories when it comes time to vote!

It was interesting to note Brian Williams' and David Gregorey's response to the Democrats cheering last night to defeating Bush's social security plan. The press and republicans are fond of saying that the democrats are weak, but when they take a stand on something, they are reviled, as Brian and David have done. First, social security is not an "entitlement program". Taxpayers pay into the system toward a future retirement cushion. If a person does not pay social security taxes, they receive none upon retirement. Bush's call for a committe to study s.s. and medicaide/medicare is a sham and will go nowhere and he and you know it. We are long overdue for a national health care system which he is trying to avoid.

A long term solution is better health. There are many alternatives not covered by insurance that promote and maintain good health.

Does this mean George is going to try to reinstate all the programs he has cut in the last five years? He has been so busy cutting these programs in order to give tax breaks to his rich friends that few are At the beginning of his speach he talked about cutting non-security programs more and now he says the opposite? Hypocrasy or stupidity or just plain political lies as usual?

Although the President and I are becoming grey at about the same pace, I hope that my aching knees will receive the same medical attention as his knees when biking becomes painful.

Although the President says that he and President Bill Clinton become Baby Boomers this year, he doesn't talk about the healthcare coverage that he can access as a "senior citizen" versus the coverage to which I look forward. Although we have turned grey at the same pace, I hope that my aching knees will receive the same treatment that he will receive when his biking becomes painful.

I have been a nurse for over 30 years and can tell you who has insurance by what medications are ordered and what tests are ordered.
The employees of hospitals cannot even afford health insurance, and they are taking care of the folks who are ill.

And the solution that he pushes - HSA's - is not a good solution for those of us in the middle income. You have to purchase a high deductible policy in conjunction with the HSA, and the premiums for that are only a few $100 less than a normal policy - that wouldn't even cover the deductible!

No I noticed when I looked at it, Bring the Troops home. I hope you are wrong or those were early #'s.
Marine of 3
Dan, Liz and Matthew

We have heard Bush promise affordable health care since he went into office. We are self employed and middle income and pay $12,000.00 per year for insurance that hardly covers anything. There is nothing else we can do because he never comes through on his promises.