Bush attacks Democrats' healthcare policy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush used a speech Wednesday to rip congressional Democrats for pushing federalized healthcare under the guise of helping children.

"Halloween's an appropriate day to talk about it, because there's a bill moving through the Congress that's disguised as a bill to help children," Bush said during remarks delivered at the Grocery Manufacturers and Food Products Association fall conference in Washington. "But I think it's really a trick on the American people."

Bush spent the bulk of his speech discussing the latest version of legislation Congress passed that would expand SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a federally funded insurance program for poor children.

The bill "would cause moms and dads to give up ... private insurance for the children, and move them on to the government rolls," he said.

Bush told his audience that some congressional members think they are in "the best position to decide which diseases should be treated, which procedures you can have and which doctors you're allowed to see."

"That's the essence of federalization of healthcare," the president said.