Comments on: Obama And McCain On Health Care

CBS Evening News: How The Candidates' Proposals Would Affect Your Community

[misha128-2009]

So you pay and insurance premium and then a insurance tax on top of it.. and its a one time only 5000 credit right? Sounds like the only winner here is the insurance company...

Posted by thatone1 at 07:55 PM : Oct 09, 2008

The real win for insurance companies is being able to relocate to states with the least regulation and reduce your coverage or deny your critical health care needs while being protected under the laws of another state less stringent than the one you may live in. This out of state protection would probably require you to hire an out of state lawyer with the associated delays at times of critical need.

[misha128-2009]

McCain tries again to bailout the banks and protect CEO salaries and their golden parachutes by making the banks whole. This is the second step of a process to have the taxpayers fully bail out his Wall Street buddies - an even less honorable and more blatant repeat of his intervention in the Keating Five.

[mairin27]

Mccain = deregulation really works = OOOPPPSSSS, NOPE!
Posted by benighse at 08:35 PM : Oct 09, 2008

Yes- you hit the nail on the head. McCain''s plan is basically deregulation of health insurance.

God help us all.

Many employer based plans are from companies already outside of the state; Cigna, United Health Care etc. these companies corporate offices are not in the states that the insured employer is located.

[musethalia]

You forgot one key item to this story. What are the costs to the owner of each plan? This must be answered. If one plan cost much more guess what, prices of meals must increase.

second item. Where does Obama''''s plan cut off small business and large business? I hear him and Biden throw around $250,000 a year That is very low and not realistic for many businesses. Do the math!!

I am cosidered a small business and for me to pick up the bill on 15 employees is going work and put a huge financial crunch on my small business.

Signed,
Fellow owner of a bar and grill

Joel in Minnesota

Posted by hallsy2008

right - and I still want to know ow BO is gonna fund everyone who can''t afford it? Because dems never raise taxes or take your money to pay for abused programs...right?

[mairin27]

The impact of the McCain plan will be borne by states and local hospitals, as fewer people will have insurance and will have to go to hospitals for ordinary care. The McCain health care plan is a disaster for the lower-middle class.

Posted by obbcbs at 08:14 PM : Oct 09, 2008

Yes very correct. What will happen is this. More uninsured people because many will be dropped from employer plans. Pre-existing conditions for manuy so millions more with real health issues that will not be able to afford quality health insurance. Because frankly $5000 for a family is absurd, go find a insurance policy for a family of 4 for $5000. You have to pay and that $5000 goes to the insurance company and you pay the rest. So millions without insurance-some of who will be sick. They will forgo treatment on conditions until it is critical. They will go the the hospital, that has to treat them. They will not be able to afford the bills, many will have to declare bankrupcy. The hospital won''t be able to collect the money. Then this burden is shifted to those with insurance. Meaning higher bills, higher premiums, deductibles and out of pocket expenses. Thus making it more expensive for those middle class people who have insurance.

Most of my physician friends are appalled by this plan.

Have you ever had to deal with an insurance company that does not want to pay a bill. Good luck!

Health care is a right of all individuals, a RIGHT NOT A RESPONSIBILITY.

[benighse]

Mccain = deregulation really works = OOOPPPSSSS, NOPE!

mccain = economy failure is his plan

mccain = erratic

mccain = 73, ol'' coot, angry, senile = MR. GRUMPY

mccain = arrogant and out of touch

mccain = oblivious to 99 % of the country%u2019s citizens and their problems

mccain = NO HEALTHCARE = or in his words = trade $12,000 for his $5,000 = SAY WHAT????

[karenkapri]

When CBS or other media compare plans, I wish they would use the average family $12k health plan (if that''s correct info) and do the math in their examples...have not seen that yet. They could easily present pros and cons of candidates'' plans, including some the things discussed here.

[relee42]

The McCain family hasn''t paid for healthcare insurance, since before there were motorcars. We have paid for the McCain''s healthcare all that time. How would he have a clue about life outside government?

[obbcbs]

The trolls are not on this site. No raving about terrorists in 1965. Just a real consideration of the flaws in the McCain rip-off, that he calls a health care plan. 20 million people will lose their employer coverage. That''s the plan, because all those people will be on their own, no one to read the fine print for them, no one to negotiate, and G-d help them if they have an existing issue when they lose their group plan.

[obbcbs]

The impact of the McCain plan will be borne by states and local hospitals, as fewer people will have insurance and will have to go to hospitals for ordinary care. The McCain health care plan is a disaster for the lower-middle class.

[mairin27]

So you pay and insurance premium and then a insurance tax on top of it.. and its a one time only 5000 credit right? Sounds like the only winner here is the insurance company...


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Posted by thatone1 at 07:55 PM : Oct 09, 2008

Bingo!! And the Insurance companies will try and impose restrictions, they will put many clauses for non-covered conditions, treatments and medications. Group plans can negotiate and guard against some unethical insurance pratices and mediate when claims are denied. If you have to go buy your own insurance good luck you are on your own and you better make sure you look at the fine print.

[obbcbs]

the McCain plan is designed to help insurance companies take advantage of individuals after they leave a group plan. In a group plan, they get a lower cost and can be insured with existing issues. As an individual, they will have to hunt for a plan that will even take them. Insurance companies will be moving to states with less rigorous oversight, and the coverages will be reduced. The McCain plan is written by lobbyists for insurance companies.
It makes no sense for the working person. VOTE OBAMA in 08

[karenkapri]

Re McCain''s health plan: most families cannot come up with the $12,000,(@ $1000 per month) and wait out the year to get a $5k refund via their Federal taxes. Even if the price of the $12k is reduced by new competitive plans, it won''t be reduced enough for most to participate in. And if a company pays much of the $12k for their employee, this benefit is then taxed and comes off each paycheck, reducing income. This is a plan for those with much higher incomes or lots of savings, who can pay the monthly amt...of which most Americans don''t have and many more won''t have in the current economy. It surely doensn''t help someone who has lost a job, as most can''t afford the COBRA plan. Obama''s plan seems to offer more to people who have less. I now purchase an individual plan and would hope some market competition would help me, as mine premium went up 50% last year, about 100% over last 4 years. Soon, I won''t be able to afford it. States need to be involved in licensing insurers, as it''s an xtra level of protection I get without having to figure some things out about health care myself. National health care companies, such as Blue Cross/Shield are licensed in each state - a good thing - that is the level of protection I mentioned.

[relee42]

McCain''s healthcare plan is like dispatching a submarine to rescue somebody off the top of Mt. Everest. There is a clue why he didn''t try the admiral route.

[mairin27]

"I will give every family, every family in America, a $5,000 credit to buy their own health insurance policy and let them choose their own doctor," McCain said. "This will make insurance affordable to every American."

Though today, the average family plan is worth $12,000. But McCain thinks these tax credits would spur market competition - as insurance companies vie for their piece of the tax credit money, cheaper health insurance options would be created.

The problem is this under the McCain plan the tax credits are paid directly to the insurance companies not the individual or family. Under the McCain plan some employers will drop insurance coverage they offer employees and the issue of pre-existing conditions is not addressed. If you have a pre-existing condition it will be difficult to get quality health insurance and many people will be denied coverage. Also many companies already have out of state insurance; Cigna, United Healt Care etc. that cover thousand of people who do not reside in the state where the insurance company is based.

[p4nd1d]

Under the McCain plan what happens if you lose your job? You only get 5,000 which i think goes direct to an insurance company, but as you say insurance cost 12,000, so what good does that do anyone...Plus if you are employed how much tax will you have to pay for the insurance? So you pay and insurance premium and then a insurance tax on top of it.. and its a one time only 5000 credit right? Sounds like the only winner here is the insurance company...

[hallsy2008]

You forgot one key item to this story. What are the costs to the owner of each plan? This must be answered. If one plan cost much more guess what, prices of meals must increase.

second item. Where does Obama''s plan cut off small business and large business? I hear him and Biden throw around $250,000 a year That is very low and not realistic for many businesses. Do the math!!

I am cosidered a small business and for me to pick up the bill on 15 employees is going work and put a huge financial crunch on my small business.

Signed,
Fellow owner of a bar and grill

Joel in Minnesota

[dawnpeterson]

Tonight''s story made it sound like Sen. Obama''s plan would not help small employers provide health insurance for their employees. That''s simply not true. The tax credit for small businesses is intended to help employers like Hickory House to do just that. It would help people like Mr. Wolfe, who would like to help provide health insurance to his employees, to use the tax credit to help with the payment of employee health care premiums.