“Dragging people out of private health insurance to put them into a government-run program is ‘Hillary care’ come back,” Mr. Boehner said, referring to the Clinton administration plan for universal coverage.What a typical remark from the "do as I say, not as I do" crowd, and San Francisco Gate columnist David Lazarus picked up on it.
Taxpayers pick up Bush's bill
Like that [government-run health care for every American] would be a bad thing.According to Lazarus, President Bush's government-run health care provides much more than preventative screening procedures like colonoscopies:
What's particularly galling about Bush's position is that it's coming from a man who just underwent a colonoscopy performed at the taxpayer-funded, state-of-the-art medical facility at Camp David by an elite team of doctors from the taxpayer-funded National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
If anyone understands the benefits of government-run health care, it's the president.[...]
That's a fine how-do-you-do for a guy who had five growths removed from his colon on Saturday largely at the government's expense and had them promptly examined by government experts at the government-run National Naval Medical Center.
In a paper found on the Web site of the Defense Department's Armed Forces Institute of Pathology ( www.afip.org ), former White House physician George Fuller outlines the mission of the taxpayer-funded White House Medical Unit.Hmm...they keep medical facilities throughout the world for the president's benefit? Now that's what I call universal coverage. America's children should be so lucky.
He writes that a primary purpose of the group is to provide "confidential, immediate and private access to preventive, routine and urgent care for the principals." This, Fuller adds, "is a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week commitment with no exceptions."
The quality of health care is so exacting, he observes, "that the president cannot even ride an elevator in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building without a physician escort."
According to Fuller, the president enjoys the benefits of medical and dental clinics in the White House, as well as "a fully equipped and supplied outpatient clinic" at Camp David, where Bush's colon was explored.
He says the White House Medical Unit also "keeps a unique and extensive library of medical facilities throughout the world" to provide for the president's health care needs during overseas travel.
3 comments:
If Americans had a doubt about what the Republicans were about, this travesty spotlights it all.
The party of "compassionate conservatives" aren't too compassionate about poor children.
It's a mystery to me why people react to media reports about government procedures that are long-standing and well known as if what they're reading about is part of some new, secret conspiracy. The fact is, there has been a physician to the President for everyone serving in that office since George Washington. And the fact is that the so-called White House Medical Unit also provides emergency coverage for more than 1.5 million annual visitors to the White House and guests of the President, as well as national and international Heads-of-State and diplomats. This is no different than what every President before President Bush has received. As far as comparing his medical coverage to what the typical American has, it must be obvious to even the most partisan observer that the leader of the free world ought to have the best possible medical coverage, right? And as far as the notion that the current (Republican) Administration is opposed to universal health coverage, in my lifetime I watched the (Democratic) Administrations of Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, and 8 years of the Clintons come and go without anything being done to address this. The bottom line is that the will of the American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, have not demanded that universal health coverage be added to the panoply of social programs -- Social Security, unemployment insurance, disability coverage, etc.) Whether Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid are able to change that remains to be seen (even if Sen. Clinton is elected next year.)
Larry, the Republicans' image is nothing more than fantasy. The truth is far different from the reality.
Anonymous, who said anything about a conspiracy? The public knows the president has good medical care, but it doesn't hurt to remind them from time to time just how good his care is, and you're right...he should have medical care. However, so should every American citizen. The president is just a person like you or I. He puts his pants on one leg at a time. If he has the Cadillac of health insurance, then the rest of us should at least get a Chevy.
Also, polls show that Americans want universal health coverage (even if they have to pay slightly more in taxes). The Republicans stand between them and their goal. It's obvious that they need to be voted out of office. In fact, that would take care of two problems at once. Voting out the Republicans would bring our troops home from Iraq and bring about universal health care for all.
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