ASK the average American about
It's time to look at facts: Mr. Bush's record on health will stand as a great contribution to the well-being of mankind.
Take, for example, the doubling of federal funding for community health centers since Mr. Bush took office. These not-for-profit agencies operate in underserved areas and treat people regardless of their ability to pay. According to The New York Times, Mr. Bush's support (part of his "compassionate conservatism" agenda) has driven the creation or expansion of almost 1,300 centers nationwide. Today, 7,354 clinics serve more than 16 million patients. As more people are losing their health benefits along with their jobs, community health centers are increasingly important. They also help take the load off local hospitals' emergency rooms, a common alternative destination for the uninsured.
Mr. Bush, much to many conservatives' regret, also pushed through a new entitlement program--the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Costly as it is, it's hard to argue with results: When the program began, 33 percent of older Americans lacked prescription-drug coverage; by 2006, the figure had fallen to 8 percent. This benefit clearly has elevated older Americans' health.
Far afield from Virginia but still significant was the Bush administration's decision to allow Massachusetts to use federal funds to help start its own statewide health-insurance program. The Bay State's mandatory approach has been credited with adding nearly half a million residents to the roles of the insured. Other states are taking notice.
Still farther afield, but even more critical, Mr. Bush has waged a committed fight against global AIDS. When he announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in January 2004, only 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were getting treatment for the deadly disease. Today, thanks to Mr. Bush's devotion, more than 1.73 million men, women, and children in the developing world are receiving life-saving anti-retroviral drugs. Through "targeted intervention," PEPFAR has helped prevent HIV transmission in over 12 million pregnancies and provided care for 6.6 million people, including 2.7 million orphans and otherwise vulnerable kids.
While Mr. Bush did in fact twice veto an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, deeming the measure too broad, his health legacy will be framed by the success of his other efforts. The president did more than propose a toast to good health; here and abroad, he made it happen.