Which, of course, is the way it should be for health care (and everything else). The income tax needs to be abolished so people are free to save and invest and or do whatever they feel is appropriate or necessary with their own money. We'll never be free again until the income tax is gone. Go back to excise taxes the way the founders intended.
Looks like Dubya has outsmarted the Rats and the FReeper doubters again.
Big deal. It is a $400 billion (at least) vote-buying scam.
From a personal financial standpoint, I love MSA's (I was very annoyed when my Blue Cross plan restructured and ceased to be MSA compatible), and now HSA's (compatible with almost everything with the required deductible, with about double the available deduction as the MSA, and the deduction is above the line, rather than below on your tax return, so it is not subject to the myriad restrctions that attend schedule A deductions, for thost that itemize. However, the loss of revenue to the feds will be many times the estimate ludicrously small number suggested by Thomas of single digit billions over 10 years, many, many, more times, because HSA's are such great deal. Basically you can fully deduct all your medical costs with this without dealing with the 7.5% gross income threashold on your individual deductions schedule A, or alternatively, if you never spend the money on medical care, because you are the bionic man, it is just another pension plan for you.
Taxes are going to be raised I suspect in Bush's second term. You heard it here first. If somehow, Bush dodges that bullet, they will be raised in the term starting in 2008.
None of this spending and tax cutting jihad pencils out. It is not economcially sustainable.