newsweek.com — If you think that "The Market"—whatever market—always works for the best, you'll love John McCain's version of health insurance reform. It uses the tax code to shove you toward individual policies (more "choice!") and away from comprehensive, employersupported plans.
Oct 4, 2008 View in Crawl 4
lisa3711Oct 5, 2008
Right, and the tax rebates go to the insurance companies, not the people. Sneaky.
mommakatzOct 5, 2008
It's worse than what's being reported by a long shot. Think this through! Today you are allowed to pay your share of employer group insurance PRE TAX, which you lose under McCain's plan. Your employer loses the tax benefit of providing an employer group plan which causes one of two things. 1) That loss is transferred to YOU in the higher cost of health premiums, or 2) your employer stops offering employer group health plans. This forces everyone into an individual/ family plan market, and those premiums are typically 3 to 4 times higher than group plan premiums, with exponentially higher deductibles, copays, and far lower annual maximums the insurance company must pay. Moreover, employer group health plans cannot underwrite pre-existing conditions, but individual / family insurance DOES exclude pre-existing conditions. The $5000 tax credit McCain speaks of is NOT a refundable credit, but detracts from taxes owed. So, it doesn't go into your pocket, your premiums will at the very least triple or quadruple, you will pay higher deductible and co-pays. Finally, the true benefit of group insurance rests in the insurance companies ability to set lower allowable costs for patients (your doc says the procedure costs X, and the insurance company agrees you can be charged Y with them covering 80% and you covering 20% etc.) Under McCain's plan we LOSE that!!! Why do you think the majority of individual / family plans are catastrophic coverage only? Wake up America!
StardomeOct 5, 2008
No wonder the insurance companies like McCain's health care plan. It is interesting to not that Iraq has a national healthcare system that covers every citizen, plus their 98 billion dollar surplus. Not only are Iraq's enjoying a free healthcare system, they are also enjoying five cents a gallon gas.Why doesn't John McCain run for the President of Iraq, because he certainly is not helping us here.
votegopOct 5, 2008
The last thing I want the federal government controlling is my healthcare and that of my family. John McCain's healthcare plan allows hardworking Americans to purchase *their own* healthcare from the provider they see fit. That's the American way. Look at the DMV. Do you want getting a checkup to be like that? I didn't think so.