Vetting McCain’s Health Plan

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  • Posted By: bosco123 @ 10/07/2008 12:16:52 AM

    When are we ever going to learn our lessons?

    listening from dingbats like MSM (fox included) republicans and the democrats .For a bunch of so called experts , they are only good at one thing.and that is polorizing us.

    Think about it,.with McCain they have taught us MORE OF THE SAME

    With Obama they want us to believe CHANGE ..... yea right

    all they are doing is absolutely driving us straight to the ground.

    Got news for all of you people. there is no differance.

    I am a proud true conservative Unfortunetly I have not been represented in over 30 years. You see a true conservative believes in the right to pursue my own path (I think that was written in some important paper a long time ago ,that was suppose to be important in this country)

    Somewhere along the way the so called Great Experiment got lost.

    Now I see us heading straight towards socialism and for what? My guess someone decided that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL turned into a ITS NOT FAIR, i HAVE A RIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM, IM UNDERPRIVELEGED I DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION. I DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR HEALTHCARE. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH WE ARE BECOMING A GIMME STATE. When in fact we are not entitled. to anything ...even being born if someone choosesthat option.

    but the MSM and our government brainwash us into believing that we are no longer capable of taking care of our selves.

    There game is discusting,divide us then label us,dems and repubs come up with some dumbass principlesand, cause us to fight amongst each other . which in turn keeps those idiotts in power.
    regardless of any consequence.

    last week we had to pay an extra 700,000,000,000 . Precisely because we are a gimme state. Well the housing brought us down to our knees, nope cant play that one any more . now they are going to the next game, Health Insurance which will once again,someday, will blow up.

    I got a conservative Idea that hasn't been tried in a long time.

    get the hell out of our lives and in return we will give you 20% of our money for roads and military. Then we could afford to buy our own things that we believe are important..

    I know this self reliance seems old fassion, but it is the only thing that we are entitled to.





  • Posted By: Cantabrigian @ 10/06/2008 7:46:52 PM

    THE LACK OF INTEREST IN KNOWING JUST WHO NOBAMA IS IS STUNNING!

    MEDICAL DISCLOSURE:

    Senator John McCain has granted access to more than 2,500 pages of medical records, in 1999 and 2008, and a recent report, including all medications from a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic who has been treating him for years.

    NObama released in May, a one-page letter from his primary care doctor, who he had not seen in 18 months.


  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/06/2008 5:55:07 PM

    The Antichrist!:
    When George Soros failed to obtain the election of his candidate, John Kerry, in 2004, he brooded for a while, even said he might get out of politics altogether, but he just couldn???t stop himself. He has stated publicly that he wishes to burst the ???bubble of American supremacy,??? because he says our preeminence in the world is a detriment to global ???equilibrium.??? So far, he has failed, but he keeps on trying.

    And Mr. Soros has made no secret either of the fact that he sees the shortest way to effect political shake-ups, what he terms ???regime changes,??? is through very difficult economic conditions.

    America has not yet felt the full force of Soros style economic shock treatment. But others have.

    Soros made his first billion in 1992 by shorting the British pound with leveraged billions in financial bets, and became known as the man who broke the Bank of England. He broke it on the backs of hard-working British citizens who immediately saw their homes severely devalued and their life savings cut drastically in comparative worth almost overnight.

    When the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 threatened to spread globally, George Soros was right in the thick of it. Soros was accused by the Malaysian Prime Minister of causing the collapse with his monetary machinations, and he was branded in Thailand as an ???economic war criminal??? who ???sucks the blood from the people.??? Right in the middle of this crisis, Soros dashed off his book, The Crisis of Global Capitalism, which demanded a ???third way??? toward economic stability.

    Wake up, America, before it is too late!!!!

  • Posted By: jojo_2008 @ 10/06/2008 5:50:43 PM

    I am a 30 year old healthy female (no history of illness more serious than bronchitis), and my individual health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois is $3,300 per year--80% of that is paid for by my employer. That means I already pay $660 per year for my own coverage. (And my coverage is NOT good, does not include any dental, and does not include maternity benefits.) If my employer stops paying for my premiums, and I get this tax credit instead, I will be paying an additional $140 per year under McCain's plan (3300-2500=800, 800-660=140).

    People, listen: this idea to switch to individual plans is TERRIBLE! And to describe Obama's health plan as universal health care is NOT accurate, it is NOT socialism (unfortunately...because I would prefer that.)

    Health care will still be privatized, it will just be that more people have insurance so they can access health care, rather than getting sick, getting stuck with huge bills, and declaring bankruptcy. Over a million people declare bankruptcy every year because of medical bills. Check out AARP if you don't believe me.

  • Posted By: Nins @ 10/06/2008 12:34:42 AM

    The GOP is grasping at straws. They have nothing substantive against Obama, but boy are they good at making up lies. This has been a leading Karl Rove tactic for years, and if America falls for this again we should be ashamed of ourselves. Not to mention the obvious fact that this is all a smokescreen to keep the focus off of the fact that Palin and her Alaska associates are in contempt of court for refusing to testify in the Troopergate hearings. After Nixon and Clinton, Americans are to some extent jaded, but really, would you want a VP who refuses to attend hearings in her own defense, and instructs her employees not to testify? That smells like guilt. It surely doesn't give the impression that she has done no wrong and has nothing to hide.

    This year, the GOP offers you an angry old man and a woman who, while personable, is desperately uniformed about national and international issues. Both of them are far right politically. McCain used to be a maverick, but since 2004 he's voted 90% with Bush. McCain's policies are not original or reformist, despite how he's tried to co-opt Obama's popular message of change. Please go to the websites of both of the candidates and read their platforms. Obama's Blueprint for Change has more good ideas than McCain's plan. Compare them yourself. Obama's basic premise is that tax dollars should be spent to make America stronger and to improve the lives and well being of our people. For example, he uses education programs to train a new technology workforce, contributing to energy independence, creating jobs and improving the economy. When you read McCain's plan you will find no over-arching design to get America back on track. Instead you'll find more tax cuts for the wealthy, de-regulation of the health care industry, and a stated intent to overturn Roe v. Wade.

    I'm a Republican. Although I embrace some forward-thinking social values, in the past I've rarely voted Democrat. My thinking was that since Republicans grow robust economies, by voting Republican I'd be endorsing a plan that would grow wealth for our nation, and then we'd be able to afford social programs. It was a good strategy for a couple decades, but I have to say that the tenure of W. Bush has changed my mind. Not only is there nothing fiscally responsible about today's GOP, the insidious alignment of the party with religious intolerance has really turned me off.

    On the other hand, the intelligent luminous thought of Barack Obama has ignited my passion for politics and my patriotism. I want a President who puts America first and can get the economy back on track. In my mind, values voting takes a back burner when we are faced with a meltdown of the economy. It is time for a change, a real change. The Republicans have controlled the Presidency for 38 of the past 50 years, but they have fallen down on the job. The Democrats have a stellar candidate this year, and I am voting for Obama.

    • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/06/2008 9:39:04 AM

      Bull! you are just another Obama Camp employee blogger with your predictable, formula responses that have gotten so transparent and tired. Devoid of any creativity! These are some examples of the typical posts that might come from your nefarious organization:
      "White senior female supporting Obama!"
      "Life long Republican, retired Marine, now supporting Obama!"
      "Former Neo-Nazi sympathizer who now supports Obama!"
      The only line of attack that your camp has had is to say that people don't want more of the last eight years. And attempting to tie McCain to the Bush Administration because he happens to be a member of the same party! Talk about scare tactics! The Obama administration can't offer any solutions or plans that it's administration will do for America because it does not have any! It can only point to the Bush administration and say, " Nobody could be as bad as that guy, so you should vote for me, because I look good by comparison! And since John McCain is a member of the same party as that big bad boogy man Bush, it might remind you of the last eight years!" So, with that logic, you might as well say, " Vote for me because the nightmares of the Bush administration will come back to haunt you otherwise. It does not matter that I could be worse than any president in history. At least I am a fresh new face and I speak well from a teleprompter and look good in a suit. In other words, I am a poster boy president and the sight of me and my charismatic rhetoric will make the world heal and everyone will come together and sing Cumbayah!" God save America! The superficiality of this shallow culture of " American idol-esque" nonsense is just sickening!

      • Posted By: smarteeee @ 10/06/2008 4:14:33 PM

        You are an idiot. Try having an original thought for a change - you are just more of McSame. Karl Rove has his hand up McCains back side - he wants four more years and the idiots want to give it to him just to keep the "other team" out of office.

  • Posted By: bigdadred @ 10/06/2008 2:04:56 AM

    The fact that Fox News Network is taking the position of launching a series of all out assaults against senator Obama???s character is a sad day in journalism. They should be ashamed of the immoral and unethical standards that their network displays on a continual basis. What they must be made to understand is that as citizens we rely upon networks for their fair and accurate reporting of events and we will not tolerate anything less, especially when its over the top or maybe I should say as far right as Fox News Network is. It is time to take a stand against Fox and look to other networks for fair and accurate news coverage.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 10/05/2008 11:41:34 PM

    Barack Obama supports a bailout of AIG, he should. His proposals on health insurance have made a major contribution to helping to undermine investors confidence in AIG???s future profitability and financial prospects.
    The economic proposals of Obama dealing with healthcare display a naivete about economics of the health insurance industry. This is unusual because his wife is a hospital administrator with a major hospital in Chicago. In campaign ads and during his acceptance speech, Barack Obama mentions that his mother had to fight with insurance companies during her terminal illness. Barack vowed to eliminate discrimination by insurers and his recent ads specifically state he will ban pre-existing condition prohibitions on coverage. Obama also says that his proposals will not increaswe the cost of coverage for the average American family. His plan and the statement that it will not increase costs is an outright hoax. Preexisting condition provisions in insurance company health policies are the cornerstone of the entire concept of insurance. Health insurance is not like welfare that you can collect if you need it. The economic principle of health insurance is that healthy people pay into the system and only a few draw out. Over a fourth of people in the United States do not have health insurance and many do not have health insurance simply out of choice. People that are in their twenties and thirties and are healthy and may chose to self insure. They are willing to bet that they will no get sick therefore they do not want to pay any premiums. However, if these same people only decide to purchase health insurance when they want to have a baby or a special elective operation or become aware that they have a health condition such as cancer, then the system breaks down. Only sick people will pay into the system and healthy people will opt out because there is no incentive to maintain health insurance. If insurance companies can???t exclude people due to preexisting condition then the rates will become exorbitant for everyone. The rationale behind mandatory auto insurance recognizes that many people are willing to take their chances and drive without insurance. Barack Obama proposal to eliminate preexisting coverage exclusions is like someone without auto insurance having an accident and totaling their car and then going down to the insurance office and taking out a comprehensive policy and demanding the insurance pay for an accident that they had the previous week when they were uninsured.

    • Posted By: Nins @ 10/06/2008 1:04:34 AM

      Dear mccainsupporter, your blog is filled with inaccuracies. I believe that your sincerely think that what you have written is true, but as a physician I have to take issue with much of what you have said.

      You state that the pre-existing conditions clauses are the cornerstone of what keeps the health care industry financially afloat. What you fail to realize is that almost all policies DO NOT HAVE a pre-existing conditions clause. Everyone who is under a group plan is covered no matter what conditions they have or had. It is the smaller percentage of people with self-pay individual plans that are forced to take the pre-existing conditions policies. Firstly, since about 85% of America's insured have group policies without any pre-existing conditions clauses, it clearly would not bankrupt the industry to extend this to the self-pay individuals. Secondly, to refuse to extend this to self-pay people is terrific discrimination, especially when you consider that the self-pay people are paying ALOT more for their insurance than the group plan people, who have negotiated low premiums by buying in bulk. Thirdly, insurance companies routinely use the self-pay pre-existing conditions clause as a scam. I've known many patients who purchase self-pay policies which say that after two years of paying their premiums, the insurance company will then allow their pre-existing conditions to be covered. At one year and 11 months they get a letter in the mail telling them that their policy has been cancelled. This is not fair.

      Furthermore, you seem to be laboring under the misapprehension that Obama's plan will socialize medicine. Nothing is further from the truth. This is just more of the misleading lies that are being spewed by the McCain campaign (thank you, Karl Rove).

      My personal opinion is that it is disgustingly immoral to make corporate sized profits off of the backs of sick people. I myself would be in favor of socialized medicine in America, even if it would lower my income. However, neither candidate is suggesting this option.

      Here's the difference between McCain's and Obama's plans:

      McCain wants to deregulate the industry and tax your benefits. The $5,000 per family tax break he recommends for self-pay individuals does not come anywhere near the cost of a policy for a family. McCain's deregulation would be a disaster. This industry is already taking unfair advantage of it's customers, reaping huge profits and delivering increasingly sub-standard care. Imagine how bad it would get if suddenly there were no rules? Kinda like how Wall Street turned out.

      Obama wants to regulate the industry to make it fair for all Americans. Everyone gets the same price when they purchase an equivalent policy. And all children are automatically covered, which only makes since, since childhood health care is essential if you want strong citizens.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 10/05/2008 11:41:01 PM

    The main beneficiary of Barack Obama???s proposals on preexisting conditions are the states and federal government who no longer have to pay under Medicaid for poor uninsured people without insurance. Under the current system hospitals also have been eating this cost and passing it onto the federal government in higher charges for Medicare and Medicaid. Barack Obama will be shifting all of this costs off the government back onto people who have private insurance which will have the direct effect of jacking the insurance costs up at least one hundred percent for everyone who has insurance. The current twenty-five percent of people who are uninsured will stay uninsured but just sign up for insurance when they are sick or need to go to the hospital. They will drop their coverage once their illness is over. The only people who will maintain insurance are those who work for large companies and have no choice but to opt in during open season once a year. Even some employees may choose to opt out until they want to have an elective operation or they become aware of a preexisting condition that Barack Obama is adamant will have no meaning once his proposals are implemented.
    Maybe Barack Obama can extend his plan to car insurance. No one has to buy comprehensive insurance until after they have an accident and then they get to take out an amended policy and make the insurance company pay to fix their own car. If the principle works for health insurance it must work for car insurance.
    Michele Obama the wife of Barack Obama works for a hospital and it is amazing that Barack Obama would run ads complaining about insurance company refusals to insure based on preexisting condition. It demonstrates Baracks lack of understanding of economics and simple insurance practices.

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/05/2008 8:19:38 PM

    he ACORN does not fall from the tree:
    http://justsaynodeal.com/acorn.html

  • Posted By: d_in_abq @ 10/05/2008 4:22:07 PM

    As a disabled 40 year-old, McCain's health plan scares me the most. The "market" will not insure someone with health problems at $2500 a year. Will this be like auto insurance? The minute a person gets ill, will their premiums skyrocket or will their coverage be dropped completely? Also, there was no mention of dental or vision. If John McCain thinks this is such a great plan, let him and the Congress forgo their heath coverage and prove to the rest of us how well it will work.

  • Posted By: XPolygamistWife @ 10/05/2008 3:53:26 PM

    McCain's LITTLE DARK SECRET IN ARIZONA - watch the video:

    http://www.bankingonheaven.com

  • Posted By: jojolina @ 10/04/2008 9:10:03 PM

    Our economy is in shambles and our financial future is uncertain. Senator McCain, if elected president, plans to put our health care at the same risk. Last month, McCain wrote an article in Contingencies Magazine stating he would deregulate the health care industry by, "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking". Well, we've seen how well that has worked for us. Regulation in health care protects the patient from profit seeking at the detriment of the consumer. We currently have numerous problems centered around health insurance in our country, but I urge you, before voting, to look in depth at both candidate's proposals for the future of our health care system, lest we wind up with something worse than we have now.

    I am a registered nurse and have worked as such for 15 years. I currently work as a nurse case manager. I routinely assist patients in trying to find financial solutions to their health care needs. It isn't easy. I see how critical health insurance is; how it is often the defining issue between life and death. Many times we take it for granted...unless we don't have it.

    I am also a patient that lives with chronic illness and worries about being "covered" and the reality that I have many "pre-existing conditions". I have been fortunate that I have always had a job and benefited from group insurance where pre-existing conditions are not excluded. I live in fear that I will lose my job and coverage. Now, I live in fear that John McCain will become president and my company will no longer have to provide health insurance.

    Under Senator McCain's plan, I would be given a $5,000 tax credit to purchase insurance for me and my family. HA! I would never be able to get anyone to cover me with my pre-existing conditions. Basically, I would be out of luck, despite Senator McCain's lame attempt at a "guaranteed access plan". However, even if I could find coverage, it would cost far more than $5,000! My employer paid $18,000 last year for health insurance for me and my family! So, best case scenario, I would be out $13,000 more than I pay currently (the difference between total cost of the insurance-$18,000 and the tax credit, $5,000.) Money which, of course, I don't have.

    Even the other option with McCain's plan will end up costing me thousands of dollars in taxes. McCain's health care plan intends to end the tax exemption of employer payed health benefits. Therefore, if I were so lucky that my employer didn't stop offering health insurance at all, I would still be stuck with McCain raising my taxes, by taxing the health benefits I receive. For me, it would be additional taxable income of $18,000 per year.

    This is my own situation and of course, it concerns me. However, as a nurse, I am immensely concerned for my patients as well. At this time, with our economy in the basement, we cannot afford another hit! Our health c

    • Posted By: C. MacLean @ 10/05/2008 2:39:02 PM

      As a registered nurse for 29 years, including 5 years working for an HMO, I couldn't agree more. McCain's plan helps insurance companies get richer. Period.

      It does NOT help people with insurance get cheaper insurance, and it does not help people with no insurance afford any insurance.

      It is instructive to note that the American Nurse's Association has endorsed Barack Obama for president. Both the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association's websites are silent on their endorsements.

      Nurses know what the rest of the health care system either doesn't know or doesn't want to discuss - that McCain's plan may or may not assist employers, will certainly benefit the insurance companies, but will NOT help patients get or keep affordable health insurance.

      And without a means to cover even basic health care, Americans will continue to get sicker and poorer.

      Under the old fee-for-service system, we proved doctors were lousy businessmen.
      Under the present managed care system, we proved businessmen were lousy doctors.

      When we make the mistake of linking profits to health care, no one gets healthy, and only the insurance companies, the drug companies, the medical device companies, and the surgeons get profits.

      We need national health coverage for each and every American. The sooner the better.

  • Posted By: Harvybing @ 10/05/2008 12:18:46 PM

    HOW THE FANNIE MAE CROOKS WILL AVOID PRISON TIME.

    THE BAIL OUT CRISIS WAS CAUSED BY A HANDFUL OF CORRUPT CONGRESSMEN & FANNIE MAE OFFICIALS. THEY BOUGHT UP 7 TRILLION DOLLARS IN BAD DEBT IN ORDER TO PAD THE BOOKS AT FANNIE MAE AND COLLECT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SALARY BONUSES FOR THEMSELVES.

    HERE ARE THREE VIDEOS THOSE CORRUPT FANNIE MAE OFFICIALS & AT LEAST FIVE CORRUPT CONGRESSMEN DON'T WANT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO SEE:

    http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMouthPeace


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2WKtp01yOw


    One Of The Crooks Will Probably Be The Next Attorney General Under Obama. If That Happens, NONE of them will ever be brought to justice.

    http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=67068

  • Posted By: TruthForward @ 10/05/2008 10:43:27 AM

    The $5,000 does not go to the family. It goes directly to insurance companies if you sign up, and it does not cover 50% of the cost.

  • Posted By: TruthForward @ 10/05/2008 10:38:02 AM

    McCain is delusional.


    A $5,000 tax credit will not cover a $12,000 health plan.

  • Posted By: 4njvotes @ 10/05/2008 9:20:10 AM

    What fails to get mentioned is that many people seeking insurance on the open market are Denied coverage by the insurance co. due to often something small in their medical records. If people start losing employer based (McCain's plan) insurance the number of uninsured will climb. Not because of cost but because of ins. co's right to Deny insurance. I can not tell you how many times as an ins. agent I have had to tell people that they have been denied because their Dr. put them on some drug, for even a short period of time, that causes them to now be uninsurable. Even completely health young people are denied ins. on the open market because their Dr. prescribed an anti-depressant or a woman had one pap smear that was not normal (even if it is normal on re-test). Losing employer based health ins. is not a viable option until the laws are changed regarding the ins. co's ability to Deny coverage for just about any reason they want to. Vote NO on McCain's plan to help corporate America and make life continuously worse for the average working voter.

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/05/2008 12:50:23 AM

    This is one of the few Democrats that I am proud of!:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR5ekEuGyvk

  • Posted By: whoiamnow @ 10/04/2008 11:41:02 PM

    Beauty and the Beast were surprised at how well the pitbull did in the debate. But Joe Six Pack wasn't fooled. So now they are back to their old tricks- character assasination, lies and distortion.

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