The Bush Record on Health Care

·         George W. Bush’s wrong choices are impacting health care and Medicare in this country.

·         Health care costs for all Americans are worsening. The 2004 Kaiser Family Foundation Report shows that health care premiums have increased by more than $3,512—that’s $900 in the last year alone.

·         On Medicare, the Bush Administration bullied, threatened, and broke the law in order to conceal the truth about the costs of their horrible Medicare bill—a bill that was full of big payoffs to big drug companies.

·         Bush raised Medicare by 17%--the largest increase in the program history! And he dared to do this the day after he had said at his New York convention that he had a plan to cut health care costs.

·         The Bush Administration said the Medicare drug benefit program would cost $400 billion. Then, after the bill passed, the White House admitted they had “underestimated” the cost by $135 billion (35%). Medicare’s Chief Actuary Richard Foster was threatened with his job in June 2003 if he told Congress the true cost. “We can’t let that out,” Foster was told in a threat from Medicare Administrator Thomas Scully.

·         Bush committed to spending $79,600,000 this year to publicize his horrible Medicare bill. The first $12,000,000 ad buy was conducted by National Media Inc., a political advertising firm that has been on the payroll of the 2000 and 2004 Bush/Cheney campaigns.

·         Bush Administration spent Taxpayer Money to produce fake news segments to Promote Medicare Bill. The video “news releases” were distributed to local television sessions to be run as part of the stations’ news programs. the GAO said that this violates the propaganda prohibitions of the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution of 2003.

·         John Kerry will pass a real Patients Bill of Rights to protect the more than 140,000,000 Americans who count on HMOs for their medical care.

·         John Kerry’s plan would cut the waste and greed out of the health care system; it would save the average family up to $1,000 a year on premiums.

·         John Kerry believes that a stronger America means health care that's affordable and available for all, and that health care should be a right for all Americans.

·         John Kerry's plan will reduce employer health care costs.

·         John Kerry will crack down on skyrocketing drug prices.

·         John Kerry’s plan will extend quality health care coverage to 95% of all Americans and 99% of children.

Facts like these are important for Americans to know.
Forward these facts about health care so concerned Americans will remember when they vote on November 2^nd that George W. Bush’s record is one of rising health care premiums, increasing Medicare premiums, failing to cut prescription drug costs and choosing big insurance companies over every day Americans.

That’s wrong….The wrong choices, the wrong direction, and wrong leadership!

He had his chance. It’s time for Bush to go.