President Bush last week visited Man & Machine, a Maryland-based medical computer accessory company, for a roundtable discussion on health care and small business, the Washington Post reports. During the discussion with three small-business owners, Bush expressed his opposition to efforts by Congress to pass legislation that would reauthorize and expand SCHIP by $35 million or more over the next five years. Bush has proposed an additional $5 million over five years for SCHIP because of his concerns about the effects a larger expansion would have on the health insurance industry and care quality. Bush said, "I believe government cannot provide affordable health care," adding, "I believe it would cause the quality of care to diminish. I believe there would be lines and rationing over time."

Bush also expressed support for his proposal to change the tax code to help make private health insurance more affordable for U.S. residents. One discussion participant, Michael Kostinsky -- who owns Sorrento of Arbutus, a Maryland-based restaurant -- said that he supports the proposal. "Why can't they give us more of a deduction for our health insurance or more tax credits for providing it to employees?" Kostinsky asked, adding, "Then at the end of the year, it's not quite the burden of paying taxes and trying to make a profit and grow the business."

However, a second discussion participant, Clifton Broumand, who owns Man & Machine, said that the proposal likely would provide limited benefits and could have unintended consequences. He added that he supports a larger expansion of SCHIP than Bush. Broumand said, "My personal feeling is that the plan should be to cover every child, whether it's private or federal," adding, "When you don't cover children, what ends up happening is that, when kids are sick, which happens in my office, parents aren't productive" (Lee, Washington Post, 7/24).

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