Bush urges healthcare reform

WASHINGTON, June 27 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush Wednesday called for reform of the nation's healthcare system, calling it the system too costly, confusing and inadequate.

In remarks delivered at the White House following a meeting with healthcare experts, Bush said the U.S. healthcare system "is in need of serious reform."

"The fundamental question is, 'What should we do about it?' On that question, our nation has a clear choice. One option is to put more power in the hands of government by expanding federal healthcare programs and empowering bureaucrats to make medical decisions. The other option is to put more power in the hands of individuals, by making private health insurance more affordable and accessible and empowering people and their doctors to make the decisions that are right for them," Bush said.

Bush said an expanded government system is "the wrong path" and would "deprive Americans of the choice and competition that comes from the private market." He also warned it would result in rationing.

"The best way to make private insurance more affordable, however, is to reform the tax code," Bush said.

"By reforming the tax code, it would help more than 100 million people who are now covered by employer-provided insurance reduce their tax bills. Those who now purchase health insurance on their own would save money on their taxes for the first time. As many as 20 million others who have no health insurance would purchase basic coverage."