Ignoring Democratic opposition, ABC's Morrell claimed Bush is...

On the January 21 edition of ABC's World News Sunday , ABC News White House correspondent Geoff Morrell stated that President Bush is reaching out to Democrats with a new health care policy he will reportedly announce during his State of the Union address on January 23. In saying that Bush is reaching out, however, Morrell mischaracterized Bush's plan and ignored the fact that Democrats oppose Bush's proposal specifically because it would raise taxes on certain workers. The Washington Post explained Bush's plan in a January 21 article : President Bush will propose a deep tax break for Americans who purchase their own medical insurance and would finance it with an unprecedented tax on a portion of high-priced health-care plans that workers receive from their employers, according to the White House. The initiative, which the president briefly previewed in his radio address yesterday, has a dual purpose: It would create a financial incentive for the estimated 46 million to 48 million Americans who lack health insurance to buy it. And it would rein in the soaring cost of health insurance by encouraging workers in high-priced plans to seek more modest coverage. [...] The proposal, which Bush plans to fully unveil in Tuesday's State of the Union address, marks a sharp departure for a president who has been criticized for advocating tax cuts that disproportionately benefit higher-income Americans. Administration officials familiar with the plan say it reflects the new political order in Washington, where Democrats now control both chambers of Congress. They refuse to characterize the plan as a tax increase because it raises no new money for the federal government. Instead, it would add a new tax on employer-provided health-care plans worth more than $15,000 to subsidize those who buy modestly priced plans out of their pockets. On World News , however, Morrell reported that Bush's plan would tax health plans purchased by families and individuals -- not employer-provided

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