Commonwealth & Bush

Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, has a column explaining why the Catastrophic Bush health plan won't help the people who need it most — the low-wage uninsured without the discretionary income to buy insurance. That group is the majority of the uninsured. Davis says the biggest winners with the catastrophic Bush plan would be those now buying insurance through the individual market. Forty percent of that group make more than $50,000 a year. Lower-income families and the uninsured would not be helped.

Here's the breakdown of the uninsured and taxes:
• 55% are in the 0% tax bracket
• 16% are in the 10% tax bracket
• 23% are in the 15% tax bracket
• 5% are in the 27% tax bracket
• 1% are in the 30-39% tax bracket

"Moreover," writes Davis, "the plan could cause employers to drop their health benefits, especially in parts of the country where premiums are highest, in industries that disproportionately cover older workers, and in the small business sector."

Which is probably the point.