[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 8 (Monday, February 26, 2007)]
[Pages 181-182]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

February 17, 2007

    Good morning. Today I would like to talk to you about an urgent 
priority for our Nation: confronting the rising costs of health care.
    In my State of the Union Address, I invited Democrats and 
Republicans in Congress to work with my administration to reform our 
health care system. In the past few weeks, I've discussed my health care 
proposals with citizens across our country. Next week, I'll visit a 
hospital in Tennessee to hear directly from people who do not have 
access to basic, affordable health insurance. I will also meet with a 
panel of experts at the White House to discuss how we can build a 
vibrant market where individuals can buy their own health insurance.
    The problem with our current system is clear: Health care costs are 
rising rapidly, more than twice as fast as wages. These rising costs are 
driving up the price of health insurance and making it harder for 
working families to afford coverage. These rising costs also make it 
harder for small businesses to offer health coverage to their employees. 
We must address these rising costs so that more Americans can afford 
basic private health insurance.
    One of the most promising ways to make private coverage more 
affordable and accessible is to reform the Tax Code. Today, the Tax Code 
unfairly penalizes people who do not get health insurance through their 
job. If you buy health insurance on your own, you pay much more after 
taxes than if you get it through your job. I proposed to end this unfair 
bias in the Tax Code by creating a standard tax deduction for every 
American who has health insurance, whether they get it through their job 
or on their own.
    For example, every family that has health insurance would get a 
$15,000 deduction on their taxes. This deduction would also apply to 
payroll taxes so that even those who pay no income taxes would benefit. 
Americans deserve a level playing field. If you're self-employed, a 
farmer, a rancher, or an employee at a small business who buys health 
insurance on your own, you should get the same tax advantage as those 
who get their health insurance through their job at a big business.
    At the same time, I proposed ``Affordable Choices'' grants to help 
States provide coverage for the uninsured. Governors across our country 
have put forward innovative ideas for health care reform. Under my 
proposal, States that make basic private health insurance available to 
all their citizens would receive Federal funds to help them provide this 
coverage to the poor and the sick. Next week, the Nation's Governors 
will come to Washington to discuss challenges facing their States. I've 
asked my Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, to meet 
with the Governors and discuss ways we can work together to help reduce 
the number of uninsured Americans.
    Reforming health care is a bipartisan priority. Earlier this week, I 
was pleased to receive a letter from 10 Senators--5 Democrats and 5 
Republicans--who expressed their desire to work together on health care 
reform. I look forward to discussing our proposals and hearing more 
about their ideas. I appreciate the commitment of this bipartisan group 
to work with my administration, and I will continue to reach across 
party lines to enact commonsense health care reforms.
    From my conversations with Democrats and Republicans, it is clear 
both parties recognize that strengthening health care for all Americans 
is one of our most important responsibilities. I am confident that if we 
put politics aside, we can find practical ways to improve our private 
health care system and help millions of Americans enjoy better care, new 
choices, and healthier lives.
    Thank you for listening.

[[Page 182]]

Note: The address was recorded at 8 a.m. on February 16 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February 17. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
February 16 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.