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November 3, 2004 10:47 AM

What the Bush Victory Means for Consumers


Excerpt: Here's a look at President Bush's proposals for health care, taxes and Social Security and college savings, and what they may mean for you.


Here's a look at President Bush's proposals for health care, taxes and Social Security and college savings, and what they may mean for you.

HEALTH CARE
Insurance: Consumers should prepare to handle more of the decisions -- and potentially more of the financial burden -- of health costs.

Mr. Bush has been a strong proponent of "health savings accounts," introduced during his first term as a way for consumers to set aside tax-deductible funds for future medical expenses. To benefit from an HSA, a consumer must have a high-deductible health insurance policy, which means a lower premium but paying some health-care costs upfront. The idea is that those upfront costs will encourage consumers to spend more wisely, and competitive market forces will keep prices down and bring quality up.

Mr. Bush has called for tax breaks to encourage low-income families and individuals to open HSAs, and small-business owners to contribute to them. Mr. Bush's continued push on HSAs is likely to mean that more employers will offer HSA-eligible health plans. He's also likely to continue to back the formations of associations that could help small businesses bring down their health-care costs, but such efforts didn't make much headway in Mr. Bush's first term.

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