Obama's health care plan, fact or fantasy? (health care system, Congress, wages)
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This is the plan as explained on the Obama-Biden website.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference.
The Obama-Biden plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year.
$2,500? That's great! When do I get my check?
If you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options. Make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses - Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.
Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans regardless of their health status or history can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums.
They require insurance companies to take on, as they imply, a new expense but without raising premiums, Right? As a person with Lupus, I like the idea, but admit also that this will increase health care cost for everyone.
Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees.
Why not give it to me instead? Who's going force my employer to give me health insurance anyway? If I get the tax credit, I can negotiate with my employer, or a new employer, for health insurance. Don't we all want portability?
Lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees.
Again, why not simply give the tax credit to me?
Prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors.
We tried price controls in the '70s. They are no longer around because they didn't work. The real reason malpractice insurance is so costly is the trial lawyers who support Obama make huge amounts of money alleging malpractice. For the insurance companies, It's simply cheaper to settle even if the claim is baseless.
Make employer contributions more fair by requiring large employers that do not offer coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of their employees health care.
What about small employers? Don't most Americans work for small companies? " a percentage of payroll" Don't you mean my wages? Won't this result on wage stagnation, or cuts and lay-offs?
Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage.
"a new public plan" Who pays for it? If it is the private sector, why do we need it? I can think of a hundred different reasons why this won't work.
Ensure everyone who needs it will receive a tax credit for their premiums.
Like the McCain plan? Reduce Costs and Save a Typical American Family up to $2,500 as reforms phase in:
Lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market
Like the McCain plan?
Require hospitals to collect and report health care cost and quality data
A new unfunded mandate, How is that not a new tax on hospitals?
Reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees.
Sounds great, How?
Reform the insurance market to increase competition by taking on anticompetitive activity that drives up prices without improving quality of care.
Sounds great, How?
The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
Screening are a good idea.
A Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility: Barack Obama will pay for his $50 - $65 billion health care reform effort by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans earning more than $250,000 per year and retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level.
"50-65 billion" sounds a little unrealistic to me? When was the last time the government did anything for less money than the private sector?
I just don't see how the claims are backed up by the actual plan as presented here. I also don't see any "change" here that would realistically benefit America. When you start putting requirements on employers, employees will begin working under the table whether they want to or not, others will be laid-off or have their wages cut and there goes your tax base.
Nice try but it doesn't fix anything. It makes me more dependent of government and employers who don't have my interest at heart. For being more fantasy than fact, on a scale of one to four, I rate this plan at three "there's the planes".
Any better than having your insurance benefits TAXED as income, and getting a nonsensical $5,000 tax credit? McCain serves the interest of BIG BUSINESS.
Any better than having your insurance benefits TAXED as income, and getting a nonsensical $5,000 tax credit? McCain serves the interest of BIG BUSINESS.
I've read both plans. The main difference I see between the two is the Obama plan provides an employer a tax credit that they may simply not bother with. As far as I can tell their is no mandate. Someone correct me if I missed something. So if I'm self-employed I'm screwed. If my employer doesn't want to participate I'm screwed. If he wants to use the tax credit that I ultimately pay for as compensation for which I'll have to give something up (like wages), he can do that. So how is this not a tax break for my employer that I pay for? ....anyone?
The McCain plan gives the tax credit to me and it doesn't go anywhere without me attached. It's mine! I can use it as leverage on an employer who is trying to buy bulk insurance for his employees. See how it doesn't go in one direction while the employees go in another. And if I'm self-employed, I still get help. If I don't work, I still get help.
If Obama is elected, and this plan is put in place, in a couple years, IMO, the fact that the benefit was not attached to the individual will be it's downfall. Employers will exploit the benefits of the tax credit while leveraging wages down, down, down....
I've read both plans. The main difference I see between the two is the Obama plan provides an employer a tax credit that they may simply not bother with. As far as I can tell their is no mandate. Someone correct me if I missed something. So if I'm self-employed I'm screwed. If my employer doesn't want to participate I'm screwed. If he wants to use the tax credit that I ultimately pay for as compensation for which I'll have to give something up (like wages), he can do that. So how is this not a tax break for my employer that I pay for? ....anyone?
The McCain plan gives the tax credit to me and it doesn't go anywhere without me attached. It's mine! I can use it as leverage on an employer who is trying to buy bulk insurance for his employees. See how it doesn't go in one direction while the employees go in another. And if I'm self-employed, I still get help. If I don't work, I still get help.
If Obama is elected, and this plan is put in place, in a couple years, IMO, the fact that the benefit was not attached to the individual will be it's downfall. Employers will exploit the benefits of the tax credit while leveraging wages down, down, down....
You forgot the little fact that under McCain's plan, your health benefits will be TAXED. Oh, and how much health care can you buy for $5,000 a year? Not much. That $5,000 is also up for renewal every year...I can see it going 'bye bye'.
You forgot the little fact that under McCain's plan, your health benefits will be TAXED. Oh, and how much health care can you buy for $5,000 a year? Not much. That $5,000 is also up for renewal every year...I can see it going 'bye bye'.
You didn't read and understand McCain's plan because you did not mention the TAX CREDIT which will give you tax savings!!!!
JohnMcCain.com - McCain-Palin 2008 (http://www.johnmccain.com/content/default.aspx?guid=9b94f39b-1650-4a3a-89ef-fba8cba4c868 - broken link)
See CNN's analysis of McCain's health care plan below!!!!!
You didn't read and understand McCain's plan because you did not mention the TAX CREDIT which will give you tax savings!!!!
JohnMcCain.com - McCain-Palin 2008 (http://www.johnmccain.com/content/default.aspx?guid=9b94f39b-1650-4a3a-89ef-fba8cba4c868 - broken link)
See CNN's analysis of McCain's health care plan below!!!!!
I'm a grown up who's had a tax return for many years. I know what a tax credit is. Here's what Tax credits at heart of McCain's health care proposal - CNN.com says:
Under McCain's heath care plan, individuals would be eligible for a $2,500 credit and families a $5,000 credit to help pay for health insurance if they do not subscribe to, or do not have access to, employer-provided health care coverage. The government would send the money directly to insurers.
McCain's plan would cost $3.6 trillion over 10 years, the campaign said. McCain would pay for the program by eliminating the tax break employers get for offering insurance.Doug Holtz-Eakin, a McCain senior policy adviser, said the tax credit would allow individuals to obtain health coverage "tailored to the circumstances of your life" rather than being forced to accept the insurance provided by an employer.
The McCain plan will raise my taxes, pure and simple.
You forgot the little fact that under McCain's plan, your health benefits will be TAXED. Oh, and how much health care can you buy for $5,000 a year? Not much. That $5,000 is also up for renewal every year...I can see it going 'bye bye'.
How does a liberal accept that a poor person gets the same benefit as a wealthy individual. Taxes on the health care benefit keeps every thing fair for the poor since they don't pay any taxes.
There's little difference between the two plans excepting portability. I can take my McCain tax credit with me. It doesn't go anywhere I don't. The Obama plan gives my benefits to an employer who I don't trust via a government that I don't trust. As long as the credit is mine I can negotiate with it. Once employers control this asset that we pay for, they will use it as leverage to drive down wages. It's all about accountability, and I just don't trust those folks.
McCain's proposed health care tax credit raises several questions:
-Tax savings. According to the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center, McCain's plan wouldn't only save the average household $1,241 next year, but also would most benefit middle-income earners, who stand to save an average of $1,559
They would pay income tax, but not Social Security or Medicare tax, on the value of any employer insurance benefit. Currently, such benefits aren't taxed.
Leonard Burman, Tax Policy Center director, said that the credits are big enough so the taxes would be more than offset.
Under McCain's heath care plan, individuals would be eligible for a $2,500 credit and families a $5,000 credit to help pay for health insurance if they do not subscribe to, or do not have access to, employer-provided health care coverage. The government would send the money directly to insurers.
McCain Health Plan Puts Families in Charge: In another desperate attack, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have said that McCain health care tax credits to help families buy coverage "will go straight to the insurance company." Here is what they fail to mention – the credit goes to the insurance company that the American family chooses to get coverage from, anywhere in the nation. The power of choice lies with the family – not government bureaucrats or insurance companies. Ridiculing this line of strange attack, The Associated Press stated, "Of course it would, because it's meant to pay for insurance. That's like saying money for a car loan will go straight to the car dealer." Furthermore, any additional money left over after purchasing coverage will be controlled by the family in a portable health savings account.
Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.
Universal coverage for everyone, ffs. European nations spend less % GDP into healthcare and yet they can afford a good UHC. But try to convince the insurance companies, now that's other thing...
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