President Bush

Fighting vigorously for his new healthcare proposals, President Bush is traveling the country making pit stops to defend his ideas. In a speech in Missouri, President Bush fought back against critics who've emerged in the light of his State of the Union health proposals. Bush's plan is under fire as a sop for the rich--critics say that its proposal to offer tax breaks for health insurance …

President Bush joined the national debate on universal healthcare last night with two proposals outlined in his State of the Union speech. In a previous radio address, Bush had revealed his plan to control healthcare costs by tax breaks to help low-income people buy insurance and a tax boost for employees whose health coverage costs more than average. Last night he also announced a policy to support the universal health efforts of several states. The so-called "Affordable Choices …

The State of the Union address is just a day away, and healthcare has emerged as a central issue that President Bush will focus on in his speech. In a radio address on Saturday, Bush revealed his plan to control healthcare costs by tax breaks to help low-income people buy insurance and a tax boost for employees whose health coverage costs more than average. Supporters are applauding the president's plan, saying that it will bring coverage to almost 50 million uninsured Americans. Others, …

All eyes are on Washington D.C. as Democrats regain control of Congress today, and one of the incoming party's top priorities will be making easier for Americans to buy cheaper prescription drugs from other countries. An Associated Press-AOL News poll found that 69 percent of respondents support legislation that would makes these inexpensive drugs easier to acquire. "Importing prescription drugs to the United States is illegal, but the FDA generally does not bar individuals from …

On Tuesday President Bush signed a bill requiring the four federal agencies in charge of healthcare--HHS, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management--to share data amongst agencies and with beneficiaries. At a recent discussion on the subject, President Bush stated, "The fact is, if you have excellent information about quality, about service and about price, people make good decisions," according to The Washington Post. The …

Healthcare is a major topic of discussion at this year's annual meeting of the National Governor's Association and it seems as though they're getting a handle on what was previously seemed to be a hopeless situation. Several states, including West Virginia, Florida, Maine, and--most notably--Massachusetts, have initiated experimental programs that attempt to deal with high uninsurance rates and healthcare costs. It's too soon to tell which, if any, programs are successful. But the …

> The Financial Times reports that the heads of GM, Ford and Chrysler have been unsuccessfully attempting to arrange a meeting with President Bush since before the last election. Article

> FierceHealthcare editor Matthew Holt was at the fabled PARC Research Center last week to deliver a talk on "Healthcare, IT and why your doc may be stuck in the 90s...the 1890s."  …

President Bush spoke at the annual meeting of the American Hospital Association on Monday. The President said healthcare costs are spiraling out of control, noting that health insurance premiums have risen 75 percent in the last five years. Bush called for Congress to enact his package of healthcare reforms. The President asked lawmakers to extend his health savings accounts initiative to help reduce the burden of purchasing health insurance on consumers. He also stressed the need for …

There's been a significant push toward getting seniors to sign up for Medicare Part D in recent weeks, with President Bush stumping for the program. The reason is that after May 15, the price starts going up. Despite appeals from Democrats, and popular support for a delay running at 70 percent, it's unlikely that the deadline will be postponed. So far despite Administration claims …

A poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News finds that three-quarters of respondents who signed up for the benefit said the paperwork was "easy to complete" and nearly two-thirds said the program "saved them money." The poll didn't interview people who had not signed up. The Washington Post also incorrectly reported that 29 million people had signed up for Medicare Part D. That number includes all Medicare recipients who have drug coverage from any …