McCain on Healthcare
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Submitted by KFarinella
Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2008 at 6:27 PM.  |
Just read this... http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWE0ZWJiMGY1OWFiNDk2NDRhNGQwMTM3MjE... I would be interested in any other opinions. My issue with national "universal" healthcare is spending and abuse. I would like nothing better than to see every person covered free of charge for all medical expenses, but get real, it's not possible. McCain wants to give a tax credit to people who pay for private care, why? If you want a product or service, you have to pay for it. What problem does this solve? Is there an issue with employees’ health insurance today that I don't know about? The issue is the free healthcare for those who don't work, federal and state paid plans, and the reasons why they need it. For example, a person on welfare that spends his/her time eating crap and not exercising while popping out babies is causing a bigger problem for the price of care than people working and taking care of themselves. There are people that need government care, veterans and seniors for example, but there are many people that abuse the system. This issue needs to be addressed, and would effect the price we all pay. Just like auto insurance, the more accidents there are, the more expensive your premium gets. The other issue is the programs and drugs covered. Times have changed; there is a drug for everything now. Do we really need to be covered for acupuncture, Viagra, and minor allergy medicine? Can't the people that need Viagra pay for it out of pocket? If Viagra can be covered, why can't my protein from GNC be covered too? I am by no means a healthcare expert, it is not even an issue for me, but I see fat that can be trimmed and McCain does not address them. |
I won't go all "Obama" with this one KFar... =P
Posted: Mon, 05/05/2008 - 14:58.
Instead I'll just talk about the subject at hand, which is McCain's health plan.
I agree with all of the point's that you made in your post, but I would like to build on the issue of cost. Another major issue that this plan does not address is, yes, it does make health care more affordable, but check out these numbers from the "National Coalition on Health Care":
"In 2007, employer health insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent - two times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $12,100. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over $4,400. "
Okay, the tax credit would actually be a real help to the cost of single coverage; but what about the cost to families? Even McCain's alloted $5,000 would still put a family of four into $7,100 worth of debt per year just to make sure that they have realiable health services available.
To me this sounds like another attempt by a political figure to solve a problem without getting to the root of the issue. Large insurance company profit margins, automatic claim denial for some first time claims, as well as as a general public attitude that there is nothing we can do about it. These are the issues that we should be addressing. Now, do I know the solution? Of course not. The industry of health care, as well as the economy in general, is a tricky monster. The insurance companies aren't just going to roll-over and say: "Hey guys! We decided we don't like money anymore, so now everything is more affordable!" However, I do know that this is a perfect example of how not to solve the issue...
I'm deeply disturbed that
Posted: Sat, 05/10/2008 - 12:03.
I'm deeply disturbed that the best McCain's team can come up with is to subsidize privately purchased insurance. One of the primary reasons that the vast majority of health insurance is distributed through employers is the preferential tax treatment that insurance receives; salaries are taxable compensation and health insurance is not. Rather than fix this distortion they would tack on a sloppy counter-subsidy? I'm voting Santa Clause/Goldwater in '08.