McCain plan to "reform" health care: It's scary

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Des Moines was among McCain's stops this week in spreading the word about his health-care plan. He talked again about his plan to shift the country from an employer-based system of insurance to one where individuals and families purchase insurance on their own. He would encourage this by eliminating tax breaks for businesses offering health insurance and providing breaks to individuals who purchase coverage.

The proposal should scare the heck out of the millions of Americans who rely on employer-based coverage. Iowans who have tried to buy affordable coverage on their own know they need more than a tax credit and good health. Sometimes they need a winning lottery ticket.

Buying individual policies means having your health history reviewed. It means not having the bargaining power and protections that come with being part of a plan offered by an employer. And it's expensive.

So before McCain tries out this dangerous experiment on the American people, he should conduct a sort of pilot project - by starting with the man in the mirror.

After all, McCain's "employers" are the taxpayers of this country. Let him and other members of Congress ditch their employer-based insurance and go shopping on the open market. Rather than relying on the huge bargaining power of the federal government, let them negotiate cheaper and better health plans on their own.

The senator is 71. He's had his share of health problems, including melanoma. Perhaps private-sector health insurers will line up to offer him an affordable plan that doesn't exclude coverage for his pre-existing conditions.

And McCain - who is also eligible for taxpayer-supported Medicare - should consider extending his ideas to the over-65 crowd. He said this week he rejects a "big government" takeover of health care. It doesn't get much bigger than the more than 40 million Americans who rely on Medicare. As baby boomers retire, the program will grow more. McCain might suggest dismantling Medicare and sending seniors out to purchase insurance on their own - with help from a tax credit, of course - and see what voters think of that idea.

The senator is correct that the employer-based system of health insurance in this country isn't working. Businesses are saddled with the high costs of coverage, putting them at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace. Insurance shouldn't be tied to jobs.

But the more reasonable solution is to offer everyone what Medicare already offers: health coverage financed by a combination of tax dollars and participant contributions, thus allowing the huge bargaining power of millions of Americans to leverage down costs.

That idea is nowhere near as radical as forcing millions of Americans to shop for their own coverage in a profit-driven, private-insurance sector.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.../805030315/1110

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

His plan doesn't address the core problems of the current healthcare system.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In his mind, it does. In his mind, the core problem is that the insurance companies aren't making enough money. He intends to fix that.

[rebeccajo 14]

His plan doesn't address the core problems of the current healthcare system.

Ah yes.

While turning a blind eye towards Big Oil and healthcare, we shall dismantle the evil giant Microsoft......

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

In his mind, it does. In his mind, the core problem is that the insurance companies aren't making enough money. He intends to fix that.

I remember him saying "the whole problem with healthcare is that insurance costs too much". I guess I'm still not understanding how his plan is going to lower those costs.

If I had to guess I imagine what will more than likely happen is that we will see a whole slew of bare-bones bargain basement insurance plans catered to provide coverage to the lower economic classes - which will cut down on the uninsured statistics, but which will be of dubious quality.

[Leafgal 3]

And lets face it the costs for those with plans through their emloyers will go up because now you are only buying for one and not a bulk policy.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

And lets face it the costs for those with plans through their emloyers will go up because now you are only buying for one and not a bulk policy.

[Cassie 8]

And lets face it the costs for those with plans through their emloyers will go up because now you are only buying for one and not a bulk policy.

exactly.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

And lets face it the costs for those with plans through their emloyers will go up because now you are only buying for one and not a bulk policy.

Of course - there's no way it will cost less. Or I should say - "there's no way it will cost less without compromising the quality of coverage".

[Dan J 277]

And lets face it the costs for those with plans through their emloyers will go up because now you are only buying for one and not a bulk policy.

Because of the requirement to cover preexisting conditions, the cost per person for insurance through employers is actually higher than buying it individually. However in many cases, employers will subsidize part or all of the insurance cost.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Insurance without coverage for pre-existing conditions is not very useful anyway.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Insurance without coverage for pre-existing conditions is not very useful anyway.

Exactly. And McC doesn't seem to want to address that.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

In his mind, it does. In his mind, the core problem is that the insurance companies aren't making enough money. He intends to fix that.

I'll tell you here and now that this will fly right back into his face. There's no majority for this.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In his mind, it does. In his mind, the core problem is that the insurance companies aren't making enough money. He intends to fix that.

I'll tell you here and now that this will fly right back into his face. There's no majority for this.

I know. How come he doesn't?

Because - he is out of touch!

[Peikko 1,575]

Well, that would be the clincher for me were I to be a voter in the pres election. There is no way I would vote for someone advocating this kind of solution to the health care crisis. I hope this proposal gets a lot of coverage by the media and voters understand what this would mean to them.

I understand that business does need to be competitive globally but the idea that the right way to go about this is to remove health care responsibilities from business without providing some effective way for individuals to purchase health care that is comprehensive and affordable is monumentally flawed.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus