Senator McCain, stop lying about Senator Obama's Health Care Plan
Posted on September 15th, 2008 by Jason Rosenbaum in Solutions that Work
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Earlier today, Health Care for America Now released this statement:
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) - the unprecedented coalition of large labor groups, community-based organizations, women’s groups, doctors, nurses, small businesses, think tanks, and leading netroots activists - released the following statement today in response to Senator McCain's repeated false claims that Senator Obama's health care plan will "force small businesses to cut jobs and reduce wages and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor":
"Senator Obama’s heath care plan offers the American people and American business a choice. His plan allows individuals to stay with the private insurance they have now, choose a new health care plan similar to the one Congress has, or opt into a new public plan so we are no longer left at the mercy of the private insurance industry. His plan includes lowering health care costs for small business and allowing employers to offer health insurance by paying for it as a percentage of their payroll rather than continue to feed into the current system where premiums are completely disconnected from what a business can afford.
Too many Americans already know the frustration of having a bureaucrat stand between them and their doctor because that is exactly how the unregulated private insurance market operates now. McCain's health care plan, which proposes taxing your health care benefits at work and eliminating what little regulation already exists by allowing people to purchase across state lines, will raise costs and lower consumer protections.
Health Care for America Now asks Senator McCain to level with the American people and stop lying about Obama’s health care proposal." - Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now
Via Chris Frates at The Crypt, here is the RNC's response:
"Special-interest groups like HCAN support Obama’s plan to create new health-care bureaucracies and bigger government. But average patients and doctors don’t want a big government-run system with more bureaucrats and burdensome taxes,” said RNC spokesman Alex Conant.
“The facts are clear, he went on. “Obama’s plan would hurt small businesses and force families into a government-run health care system where bureaucrats stand between patients and doctors. John McCain's health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance."
See that? The RNC just defended Senator McCain's lie about Senator Obama's health care plan by…repeating the lie!
The RNC is right about one thing - the facts are clear. Multiple news outlets have examined the differences between Obama and McCain's plans, and they've all had similar views.
Here's just a sample.
Obama's proposed universal health-care plan embodies the long-held Democratic Party goal of covering the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance. Employers, insurers, individuals and the government all would have greater roles in assuring coverage through a number of proposals designed to close gaps in the system.
"It builds on the existing system and recognizes that we're not starting from scratch," said M. Gregg Bloche, health care adviser for Obama. "One can't impose sudden radical change on the system from the top down. There are real limitations to what can be accomplished centrally with respect to health care."
McCain's plan takes a different approach. It follows Republican orthodoxy of trying to make the private-insurance marketplace more affordable and competitive by radically altering the tax treatment of health-care benefits.
For years employers have been able to exclude the cost of health benefits from their employees' taxable incomes, but self-employed workers and those who buy private coverage don't have the same tax benefit. To level the playing field, McCain no longer would exempt employees' health benefits from income taxes. Instead, he'd provide refundable tax credits of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to help purchase private insurance.
Though Senator John McCain has promised to not raise taxes, his campaign acknowledged Wednesday that the health plan he outlined this week would have the effect of increasing tax payments for some workers, primarily those with high incomes and expensive health plans.
Today's issue: health insurance. John McCain wants to tax your employer-provided health care benefits. He wants to replace those benefits with an insufficient tax credit–$2500 for individuals and $5000 for families (the average cost per family for health insurance is $12000).
There is a positive, progressive tax aspect to this: wealthier people should have to pay for health insurance themselves, without tax breaks from the federal government.
But make no mistake: this plan will do little or nothing for those who do not have insurance now–unless they are young and healthy–and it may well hurt a fair number of workers, especially unionized workers, who get gold-plated benefits from their employers.
The media has also called out John McCain's outright lies about Obama's health care plan:
Disputed characterizations are not uncommon on the trail. At a campaign stop this week in Missouri, Mr. McCain said that Mr. Obama’s plan would “force small businesses to cut jobs and reduce wages and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.”
Jonathan B. Oberlander, who teaches health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that Mr. Obama’s plan would not force families into a government-run system. “I would say this is an inaccurate and false characterization of the Obama plan,” he said. “I don’t use those words lightly.”
It seems everybody but Senator McCain and the RNC think McCain is lying about Obama's health care plan. Who are you going to believe?
Please stop asking me to pay for your health care get off your lazy asses and get a job that will provide you with health care. If you need more skill to get a better job then get the needed skills. It is not your right to have health care it is a privlege. I work two jobs as does my wife to make sure our bills are paid and we have health care. We are you asking someone elses hard work to benefit your lazy asses. Do something about and create your own business and you provide your own health care.
With employers increasingly dropping health care from their benefits plans, it's pretty clear this isn't about being "lazy."
It appears to me that many many many so called experts are pulling a Barney Frank right now.
They are being warned about "what could happen" and just like Franks did with Fannie/Freddie; they are blowing off hte warnings and calling them scare tactics.
Everything with you guys are "scare" tactic - especially when there is some validity in it.
Try rethinking the whole thing through and measuring the pros vs cons.
I for one am lower middle class income. Household is aprox less than 60,000. I do not have college, I could not afford it; and did not qualify for any programs as I am not a minority. Yet, I have managed to increase my knowledge and skills enough to secure a decent job. It took a few jobs to get where I am. It didn't happen all of a sudden, I had to work for it. I have 13 years experience in my field. I have made my way to a job where I finally feel I will retire from. I also love my insurance. It only cost me about 78 bucks a month - and that includes medical, dental, disability, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment. I am the only one on the medical but I have my 18 year old and my husband on my dental and life insurance.
So, you ask, what is the catch? Well the catch is; in order for the company I work for to get such a good deal; our deductible is $3,000. Yes, I have to pay for the first 3,000. Now before you panic - I pay that out as I go, when I see the doc, etc… and guess what happens when if I hit 3,000 - It covers 100% of everything including medication.
Last year, I hit that deductible. This year not yet. However, it makes me more concious and more aware of what I am being charged for and I personally hold the insurance and the medical more responsible.
So, now you might as, how do I meet that 3,000 deductible on an income as mine? Well, I basically pay it out. I have a flex plan (work benefit program) where the money is pulled out of my paycheck ahead of time and I have it available to pay for any and all medical that I might need. Plus, I get a tax break on it. I have been to three companies in the past 10 years that offered that program.
However, I understood Mr. Obama say he was considering to get rid of that option and wants to begin taxing work benefits.
See, I work, I save, I pay; I don't need govt to do it for me.
I also don't want the restrictions of ANY of my decisions as outlined in HR3200. I am a responsible adult and I feel I am capable and more qualified to make my own decisions.
I just hope that all those complaining about us not rolling over to accept a "change" that we don't need or want have read the HR3200. There are restrictions and mandates that need to be addressed. Again, I'm not a highly educated woman; but I am smart enough to recognize a dead hog when I see it.
Am I willing to help pay for those w/out? Sure, and I do now through my taxes. Medicaid and Medicare. Expand them to accept a higher wage earner and charge them a premium. Fix the 15% w/out insurance. But don't go and recreate the wheel that affects the other 85%.
I would also like to know where it is posted the premium payments or cost that that the individual is to pay. I see in the HR3200 that there will be three different benefit levels. (How is that fair? - I thought this was equal care for all.) I'd like to know what the three levels of payments will be and what the benefits of having each will entail. It's time for some of that "transparency that I've been waiting to see".
Obama wants to take $500 BILLION from medicad,medicare (the old folks) and give it to 12 TO 16 million NON Americans that have not paid a dime into the system. They have done just the opposite. They have sucked the life out of California and other states. They are here illegally.
Obama and those far left individuals in congress and the house do not have the CONSTITUTIONAL authorithy to take over the countries health care system. Read the Constitution. Who do they think they are? Obama is just another Chicago thug that is surrounding himself with the same that ignorant Americans voted into office.
Why should the American folks that do not believe in abortion (78%) have to pay for the immoral mistakes of others? I AM NOT PUTTING MYSELF ABOVE OTHERS BUT IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE YOU TAKE CARE OF IT YOURSELF. DO NOT HAND YOUR PROBLEM TO ME. IF YOU WANT TO REDUCE THE COST OF MEDICAL CARE GET RID OF COVERAGES SUCH AS THIS.
Why should a doctor or nurse who does not believe in abortion have to participate in the act. According to some of the bills floating around it makes it mandatory that all medical personnel would have to participate. This demand has nothing to do with helping the 47M INDIVIDUALS GET INSURANCE. THIS IS THE FAR LEFT TRYING TO PILE ON AND push THEIR AGENDA.
TELL ME HOW YOU ARE GOING TO ADD 47M PEOPLE TO THE SYSTEM, ADD NO DOCTORS AND NURSES AND NOT HAVE PEOPLE WAITING FOR MONTHS FOR CARE. ON TOP OF THAT THE ELDERLY POPULATION WILL GROW BY 30% STARTING TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
Why do we have to destroy America? IF YOU WANT to live like the Canadians and Europeans why don't you move there and leave the other 82% of the American's alone. Be careful about pushing us too hard. We might wake up.
LAST BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS THE FACT THAT NO ONE IN GOVERNMENT CARES ABOUT THE 47M PEOPLE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT HEALTH CARE. THIS IS ABOUT TAKING OVER….THIS IS ABOUT DESTROYING AMERICA.
IF THIS PLAN IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA WHY IS IT NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE JACK ASSES IN WASHINGTON?