Tuesday, October 21, 2008

PSA #1: The candidates on health care

Barack Obama goes first this time; John McCain will go first in the next one.

Obama's Health Care Plan
McCain's Health Care Plan

OBAMA

Obama believes that the characterization of health care as private health care run by unregulated, or minimally regulated, insurance companies vs. government-run health care funded by taxpayers is a false dichotomy. He intends his plan to be something in the middle of the two. The important points in his health care views are:

1. Health care should be accessible to all Americans.
2. We should build on the existing health care system, using existing providers, doctors and plans.
3. Insurance companies should be required to cover pre-existing conditions so that all Americans can get insurance, regardless of their health status or history.
4. Obama would push for the creation of a Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses afford to provide health coverage for their employees.
5. Government should help lower insurance premiums for businesses by paying a portion of catastrophic health costs.
6. Insurance companies should be prohibited from overcharging doctors for malpractice insurance, and we should invest in proven strategies for reducing instances of malpractice.
7. Large employers should be required to contribute to the costs of health care by paying a percentage of their payroll toward employees' health care costs.
8. He would establish a new National Health Insurance Exchange with a variety of private insurance plans, as well as a public plan modeled on the health insurance that members of Congress receive, that will help individuals and small businesses purchase affordable health insurance.

Now, about the money:

- Obama says the average family will save $2,500/year under his plan, primarily through reduced prescription drug costs and reducing the costs of catastrophic illnesses.
- He also says his plan will cost the government between $50-$65 billion. He will pay for it by increasing income taxes on Americans earning more than $250,000/year. If you currently earn over $250,000/year, you pay a 36% income tax. Under the Obama plan, you would pay 39% on any amount over $250,000.


MCCAIN

McCain's health plan centers on his "Four Pillars of Reform:"

1. Affordability - we can make health care more affordable by ensuring competition in the health industry, rewarding quality, promoting prevention, and being more effective and efficient.
2. Access & Choice - American families should make health care choices, not the government or insurance companies.
3. Portability & Security - you should be able to keep your health insurance if you switch jobs, and you should have more options to save in case of an "unforeseen health event"
4. Quality - should be strengthened by promoting research and development of new treatments, promoting wellness, investing in technology, and empowering Americans with better information.

About the money:

McCain's website does not offer much information about *specific* changes he would make (he seems to be more philsophical, looking at the big picture policy rather than discrete policies and laws), so there is understandably no information about what his health care plan might cost to implement.

If you currently have health insurance through your employer, you don't pay any taxes on the value of that insurance. Under McCain's plan, you would start paying taxes on that, although he does not specify at what rate he would tax those benefits. His website also does not specify what he would use that new money for.

You would also receive a tax credit of $2,500 for an individual, or $5,000 for a family under McCain's plan. This is intended to help families who do not currently have insurance purchase it. McCain's website does not offer any information on what the cost of a health insurance policy for an individual or a family might be, or whether $2,500/$5,000 would be enough to cover it.

SO LET'S TALK

Whose plan do you think makes the most sense?
Who's thought it through the most?
Which plan most benefits you and your family?
Is it true that Obama wants to take away your right to choose your own doctor?
Would McCain's tax credit give you enough money to buy health insurance?
Do you think Obama's claim that families would save $2,500/year is accurate?
Is McCain right in saying that encourage competition will reduce health care costs?

2 comments:

Snowflowers Mum said...

Well...first off...I want to know the details of McCains plan...but wherever I look I cant find specifics? This makes me nervous. What I do find on his website is negative reasons why Obamas plan wont work, but little as to why his will? again NEGATIVE...and nary a comment on cancer or HIV/AIDS...but I guess that disease is about 'those people' so the Republicans don't want to touch on that in case they lose some of their 'pro-American' voters

I am far more comfortable with the Democratic plan because it is easy to understand and it seems fair(to the readers who disagree, please don't take the word 'fair' and turn it into 'socialism'...fair means FAIR)

I feel dirty after visiting the McCain website...off to take a shower and worship fake idols.

Snowflowers Mum said...

sorry, I forgot to answer the questions...

Whose plan do you think makes the most sense?

Obamas, because it's an actual plan, not just promises and no written plan...and it doesnt leave an 'angry/sad' taste in my mouth like the McCain bitter pill plan(did I say plan?)

Who's thought it through the most?
hmm...I think that's easy...just compare how much is written on each website.

Which plan most benefits you and your family?
Obamas plan benefits us the most, but I also feel it benefits the American people better by making the insurance companies more accountable.(did you know when I was growing up insurance companies in New Zealand were not for profit, they offered an alternative to the public health system, but at a reasonable cost!)

Is it true that Obama wants to take away your right to choose your own doctor? No

Would McCain's tax credit give you enough money to buy health insurance? No, our policy currently costs us about $8K a year out of pocket for premiums, with my husbands co. putting in 10K. Total cost...$18K a year!

Do you think Obama's claim that families would save $2,500/year is accurate? It will depend if they can regulate the insurnce companies/drug companies but it would be nice to see our deductibles reduced. WE maxed ours out this year...makes that 18 thousand seem REALLY useful!

Is McCain right in saying that encourage competition will reduce health care costs? This actually worries me...encourage competition seems to me to be saying that any old Joe off the street can open an insurance company and start selling cheap coverage...oh no, that was the HMO's! Dammit...I said regulation didn't I, I must be a Socialist.