McCains Health Plan: Don't get sick

[Goodpasture]

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan, the broad outlines of his proposal represent a "radical" departure from the current employer-based system, providing less coverage and imposing higher costs. McCain envisions a system under which most Americans shop for health insurance on their own in a highly deregulated market, which would charge higher deductibles and co-payments and provide less coverage. Ultimately, McCain's vision places the 158 million Americans who receive their health care through their jobs in danger of losing coverage. McCain replaces the current tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance with a one-size-fits-all tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families, equalizing the tax treatment of employer and individual plans and enticing healthy workers to buy cheaper but less substantive insurance in the individual marketplace. But the departure of healthy workers from employer insurance pools would drive up average health costs, forcing more workers to opt out entirely. The entire employer health insurance system could unravel, "ending this as an option for Americans who prefer it," as the Center for American Progress Action Fund has noted. Among those who would lose their health care are 56 million Americans with pre-existing chronic health conditions. Thus, McCain, a cancer survivor, would be unlikely to get coverage under his own plan if he did not have government-provided insurance. The McCain plan offers a simple prescription for Americans: Don't get sick.

 

[fff]

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan, the broad outlines of his proposal represent a "radical" departure from the current employer-based system, providing less coverage and imposing higher costs. McCain envisions a system under which most Americans shop for health insurance on their own in a highly deregulated market, which would charge higher deductibles and co-payments and provide less coverage. Ultimately, McCain's vision places the 158 million Americans who receive their health care through their jobs in danger of losing coverage. McCain replaces the current tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance with a one-size-fits-all tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families, equalizing the tax treatment of employer and individual plans and enticing healthy workers to buy cheaper but less substantive insurance in the individual marketplace. But the departure of healthy workers from employer insurance pools would drive up average health costs, forcing more workers to opt out entirely. The entire employer health insurance system could unravel, "ending this as an option for Americans who prefer it," as the Center for American Progress Action Fund has noted. Among those who would lose their health care are 56 million Americans with pre-existing chronic health conditions. Thus, McCain, a cancer survivor, would be unlikely to get coverage under his own plan if he did not have government-provided insurance. The McCain plan offers a simple prescription for Americans: Don't get sick.

McSame's health care plan is pretty much the same as George McBush's heath care plan. :shock:

 

[TSR]

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan, the broad outlines of his proposal represent a "radical" departure from the current employer-based system, providing less coverage and imposing higher costs. McCain envisions a system under which most Americans shop for health insurance on their own in a highly deregulated market, which would charge higher deductibles and co-payments and provide less coverage. Ultimately, McCain's vision places the 158 million Americans who receive their health care through their jobs in danger of losing coverage. McCain replaces the current tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance with a one-size-fits-all tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families, equalizing the tax treatment of employer and individual plans and enticing healthy workers to buy cheaper but less substantive insurance in the individual marketplace. But the departure of healthy workers from employer insurance pools would drive up average health costs, forcing more workers to opt out entirely. The entire employer health insurance system could unravel, "ending this as an option for Americans who prefer it," as the Center for American Progress Action Fund has noted. Among those who would lose their health care are 56 million Americans with pre-existing chronic health conditions. Thus, McCain, a cancer survivor, would be unlikely to get coverage under his own plan if he did not have government-provided insurance. The McCain plan offers a simple prescription for Americans: Don't get sick.

Wonder if either candidate will offer us a health care plan equal to the one we give them? :? :?

 

[Mike]

Consider the source:

"Center for American Progress Action Fund"

just another "Socialist" bunch stirring the waters.

"Progressive" and "Socialism" has been synonymous for years. :roll:

 

[Goodpasture]

so maybe, instead of dismissing the messenger, you figure out a way to dismiss the message? could it possibly be that your only counter argument is so weak your only option is to attack the messenger?

 

[Mike]

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan

This says enough to know they are pulling rabbits out of hats.

When the messenger is as biased as these folks there is no use to go after the message. :roll:

 

[PrairieQueen]

so I went to Obamas site to read about his health care plan, still a little unclear but I will keep reading/researching.

But I did find this paragraph interesting:

Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets: The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. There have been over 400 health care mergers in the last 10 years, and just two companies dominate a full third of the national market. These changes were supposed to make the industry more efficient, but instead premiums have skyrocketed by over 87 percent. "

I wonder if it would really take a big government run health care system if we had a little competition back?

BTW - if I was to get on board with a national plan it would be one like Canada's single payer system or I, believe, Germany's is pretty good, although I don't quit understand that system as well.

Thank goodness none of the candidates are talking about a system like the NHS in U.K. are they?

 

[fff]

While your looking into competition in the heath care field, take a look at what deregulation of the electricity service system has done in Texas. Deregulation was supposed to offer the consumer more choices and lower prices. Instead, company after company has gone broke and their customers are being shunted off to emergency providers who have some of the highest rates in the state. Plus people who invested in the new companies have lost their money.

 

[fff]

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan

This says enough to know they are pulling rabbits out of hats.

When the messenger is as biased as these folks there is no use to go after the message. :roll:

Anyone who's been paying attention knows what McCain is pushing. While I don't know if he has a specific health care plan proposal, this was his proposal back in April:

A tax credit to help individuals and families buy health insurance is at the heart of a health care proposal Sen. John McCain unveiled Tuesday.

The credits will spark greater competition among insurance providers and put "individuals and families back in charge," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said during a speech in Tampa, Florida.

"Millions of Americans would be making their own health care choices again," McCain said. "Insurance companies could no longer take your business for granted, offering narrow plans with escalating costs."

Under McCain's heath care plan, individuals would be eligible for a $2,500 credit and families a $5,000 credit to help pay for health insurance if they do not subscribe to, or do not have access to, employer-provided health care coverage. The government would send the money directly to insurers.

McCain's plan would cost $3.6 trillion over 10 years, the campaign said. McCain would pay for the program by eliminating the tax break employers get for offering insurance.

Doug Holtz-Eakin, a McCain senior policy adviser, said the tax credit would allow individuals to obtain health coverage "tailored to the circumstances of your life" rather than being forced to accept the insurance provided by an employer. Watch McCain reject universal coverage »

McCain also proposed that state governments set up a nonprofit Guaranteed Access Plan to provide coverage to individuals who are denied coverage from private insurers because of pre-existing conditions. McCain said he would work with Congress, governors and private industry to adequately fund the program. Watch McCain say he wants a system accessible to everyone »

Holtz-Eakin said McCain's willingness to work with the states to create individual programs in each state shows he understands a "better job doesn't take the form of a one-size-fits-all plan formed in Washington."

McCain argues that the increased competition will lower health care costs, which will allow more of the roughly 47 million Americans who are uninsured into the system.

The Arizona Republican would also permit generic drugs to be imported from Canada to increase competition among pharmaceutical manufacturers.

"We know competition and choice drive down costs," said Carly Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO who is advising the McCain campaign.

Holtz-Eakin said the plan would also encourage insurers and health care providers to deliver better health and disease management as well as more preventive medicine such as anti-smoking programs, which he said would further reduce costs.

Health providers would be paid for "doing the right thing" rather than being paid for every test and procedure, he said.

In coordination with McCain's speech, his campaign released a television ad that touts the plan. In the ad, which is airing in Iowa, McCain says, "I can characterize my approach on health care by choice and competition, affordability and availability. ... The fundamental problem is not the quality of health care; it's the cost of health care. So, health care must be made affordable and available." Watch McCain call for putting families in control »

Critics of McCain's plan said the tax credits would not put a significant dent into what a family must pay to buy health insurance on their own. The average cost of providing health care for a family of four annually is more than $12,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

For individuals with pre-existing conditions, the costs of obtaining insurance could even be higher, critics said.

Critics also said encouraging individuals to buy health insurance could undermine the system of employee-based health insurance, with no guarantee a new system would emerge to replace it.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/29/mccain.healthcare/index.html

That essentially President Bush's plan: tax credits and hope the insurance companies won't raise their rates. But they will. Competition was supposed to bring down the cost of drugs when Medicare Part D was instituted. But it didn't. After the first year, seniors were paying more for the five or six most used drugs. And the cost for the Medicare Advantage programs is breaking the back of Medicare. The McSames have sold us out to the corporations. Hopefully, we won't have to put up with it much longer.

There's more at that link about Hillary and Obama's plans.

 

[fff]

could it possibly be that your only counter argument is so weak your only option is to attack the messenger?

Yep.

 

[aplusmnt]

With all the talk on here about Health insurance does anyone on this site not have Health Insurance?

 

[Sandhusker]

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/

While Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has revealed little about his health care plan, the broad outlines of his proposal represent a "radical" departure from the current employer-based system, providing less coverage and imposing higher costs. McCain envisions a system under which most Americans shop for health insurance on their own in a highly deregulated market, which would charge higher deductibles and co-payments and provide less coverage. Ultimately, McCain's vision places the 158 million Americans who receive their health care through their jobs in danger of losing coverage. McCain replaces the current tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance with a one-size-fits-all tax credit of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families, equalizing the tax treatment of employer and individual plans and enticing healthy workers to buy cheaper but less substantive insurance in the individual marketplace. But the departure of healthy workers from employer insurance pools would drive up average health costs, forcing more workers to opt out entirely. The entire employer health insurance system could unravel, "ending this as an option for Americans who prefer it," as the Center for American Progress Action Fund has noted. Among those who would lose their health care are 56 million Americans with pre-existing chronic health conditions. Thus, McCain, a cancer survivor, would be unlikely to get coverage under his own plan if he did not have government-provided insurance. The McCain plan offers a simple prescription for Americans: Don't get sick.

Obama-Llama has something better?

 

[Goodpasture]

We do not have health insurance. We cannot get health insurance at any price. I am a borderline diabetic, my better half is a cancer survivor. I have been self employed for 25 years. There is no way an insurance can make money off us, so they will not insure us.

 

[CattleArmy]

We have health insurance and it's the main reason I have a job in town. This year on January 1st our premiums went up again. At the rate they are going up we'll be paying a thousand bucks a month in our forties. Who can afford that? :x :?

 

[Sandhusker]

We have health insurance and it's the main reason I have a job in town. This year on January 1st our premiums went up again. At the rate they are going up we'll be paying a thousand bucks a month in our forties. Who can afford that? :x :?

I'm not just gigging you, CA, but I ask all the proponents of a national heath care deal; Given that the government gets it's funding from us, if we can't afford health care directly now, how are we going to be able to afford it after filtering our money through an ineffecient government bureaucracy? I don't see how just changing who signs the check addresses the real problem, which is the cost.

 

[Goodpasture]

We have health insurance and it's the main reason I have a job in town. This year on January 1st our premiums went up again. At the rate they are going up we'll be paying a thousand bucks a month in our forties. Who can afford that? :x :?

I'm not just gigging you, CA, but I ask all the proponents of a national heath care deal; Given that the government gets it's funding from us, if we can't afford health care directly now, how are we going to be able to afford it after filtering our money through an ineffecient government bureaucracy? I don't see how just changing who signs the check addresses the real problem, which is the cost.

It's called shared risk. It is what the insurance industry is based on. The larger the pool of people paying in, the lower the premium for all.

 

[Mike]

We have health insurance and it's the main reason I have a job in town. This year on January 1st our premiums went up again. At the rate they are going up we'll be paying a thousand bucks a month in our forties. Who can afford that? :x :?

I'm not just gigging you, CA, but I ask all the proponents of a national heath care deal; Given that the government gets it's funding from us, if we can't afford health care directly now, how are we going to be able to afford it after filtering our money through an ineffecient government bureaucracy? I don't see how just changing who signs the check addresses the real problem, which is the cost.

It's called shared risk. It is what the insurance industry is based on. The larger the pool of people paying in, the lower the premium for all.

How is that possible?

When you add more people to a pool you will get not only more healthy people, but more unhealthy ones too.

Sharing the health risks among 1000 random people in a given area should statisically be the same as sharing the risk of 100,000.

Tell me how more people can lower the risks...................

 

[aplusmnt]

We do not have health insurance. We cannot get health insurance at any price. I am a borderline diabetic, my better half is a cancer survivor. I have been self employed for 25 years. There is no way an insurance can make money off us, so they will not insure us.

My dad has some serious health problems, to many to list and he could get health insurance. Kind of like a driver with a bunch of DUI tickets. Did you try some of the High Risk Health insurance companies?

 

[Sandhusker]

GP, "It's called shared risk. It is what the insurance industry is based on. The larger the pool of people paying in, the lower the premium for all."

Who told you that? Hillary? Barryo? That is not true. The larger the pool to a certain point, the more predictable funds that have to be paid out to claims will be.

Try again.