President Bush's Hidden Agenda

There is no doubt in my mind that President Bush's hidden agenda is to give the working class a break. Possibly, he's thinking ..."What the hell...this country already owes more than $9 trillion...so, why not give all these hard working Americans a chance to relax? After all, isn't that the reason Medicaid and other federally funded domestic programs were created? If it gets to expensive, we can always pull the plug. Look at all the North Koreans, they seem happy that "Big Daddy" is taking care of them."

Ten years ago, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was created to cover kids whose parents work but can't afford health insurance on their own. Millions of children were and are covered under this program. But there are still a whopping 9.4 million more children that are still living without health coverage in America. President Bush wants to veto SCHIP which would add millions more to that number.

Currently, in most states, the income cutoff to qualify for SCHIP is twice the federal poverty level or about $41,000 for a family of four...I'll call them the Schippers. The Schippers earn $41,000 per year which is meager income to meet their needs even without having to pay for health insurance on their own. If you add the expense of an average policy, about $12,000 per year, the Schippers spiral down to just above the poverty line.

The average insurance policy that the Schippers purchased, many would argue, is insufficient to safeguard the family, should one of the Schippers experience a health problem requiring a great deal of medical care .

Considering so many families, like the Schippers, spend most of their waking hours contributing to the labor force but are living near the poverty line anyway, the Bush Administration's message is loud and clear,

"Stop working! It's not worth it. We'll take care of you."

It seems as if President Bush is even further to the left than the most liberal democrat on this issue...perhaps, "Socialist" would be a more appropriate label.

Resources for the uninsured:

Cover the uninsured.
Voice for the uninsured.
eHealthInsurance
NSCL Resources