Bush Concerned About Health Care?

Really?

The following is from the Fierce Healthcare newsletter under the headline "Budget Cuts Could Hit Hospitals Hard":

"President's Bush's new budget proposal would impact many healthcare providers but hit hospitals hardest, The Wall Street Journal reports. Details of the plan emerged yesterday when the President's 2007 budget proposals were delivered to Congress. Long-term care providers would face at least $5 billion in cuts, while hospitals would take the heaviest hit, losing about $8 billion in funding over the next five years. The administration is expected to portray the cuts as necessary to slow the growth in Medicare spending. Analysts expect a serious political fight to follow. Some question how realistic the cuts are in an election year.

- read this Wall Street Journal article (sub. req)

PLUS: Critics are particularly incensed about cuts that they say could hurt healthcare research and development. Funding for the National Institutes of Health would remain flat overall but some divisions would see cuts. The National Cancer Institute would face a cut of about $40 million. Funding for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute would drop by $21 million. Spending on Diabetes research would fall by about $11 million. Article"