Bush has got some work to do

President Bush is attacking Hillary Clinton and other Democrats for a failed health care system and their desire for a government system, according to an Oct. 31 Associated Press report, “Bush goes after Democrats on health care.”

Bush said he is for privatized health care, not government involved. If that is true, there are two things he can do to prove it. The first step is to disband the “diagnosis related groupings” that tell hospitals how long a patient should be admitted to treat their illness.

This was enacted in 1983 to ” … provide hospitals with incentives to hold down costs, prospective reimbursement offers the hope of significant reductions in expenditures for the nation’s medical care.” Sounds good, but since the government got involved it has evolved to allow private insurance companies telling doctors how to treat their patients if they don’t want the claim denied! Do the math: Lobbyist + Government = HMOs.

The second thing Bush needs to do is to present a plan to ensure that all children get adequate health care without government involvement. The only way I can see this happening is to make sure all employers provide this and/or all insurance companies offer reasonable rates to families. Perhaps a sliding scale.

Bush seems to like government-run programs and he does not appear to care a hoot for children’s health. That was made clear when he vetoed the children’s health-care bill this month and continues to say the government has the right to spy on citizens without a court order.

Delores Boone, R.N.

Monroe