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How could Obama's healthcare plan be bad (really)?

My supporting points: #1 All McCain will do is give $5,000 to you for health insurance, but I know full well that if employers are taxed when providing health insurance, they will stop covering their employees. Furthermore, the cost of yearly health insurance is more like $12,000/year. Just do the math, and anyone can see that it's a substantial net loss for most Americans. $5,000 sounds like a nice carrot to throw out, but it's deceptive. And I'm in really bad shape if I'm already sick with cancer in terms of getting coverage at all. #2 If you're working with a family to raise, how could you think it's acceptable that nearly 50 million Americans have no health insurance. Furthermore, the #1 cause of bankruptcy is medical related and many of the people who go broke actually have plans that had inadequate coverage. I understand that if you did what you were supposed to do in life and have a great health plan, than why should you have to sacrifice anything for some smuck who doesn't have enough coverage, I get that. But lets do the simple math. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans don't have health insurance, and many more don't have adequate coverage. Example: In my high school class of 1997 consisting of 300 kids, if 50 of them had to be held back to repeat the 12th grade and another 60 students graduated, but did not have an adequate enough education to be able to fill out a job application, than that would be abysmal. Now maybe that group of 110 students didn't have parents who could afford to higher an after school tutor or who knows, but shouldn't the system be changed to get a better result? How can people just call Obama's plan "scary"? #3 The gov't provides many things that are simply a right, like public safety. I mean I'm sure it would be cheaper to have no police on municipality pay rolls, but wouldn't you have far more crimes committed? Do you just tell everyone to higher a personal bodyguard? Do you get them started off with the first $5,000 to cover the bodyguard, even if they charge 12 or 15 grand a year? #4. Health insurance is a financial hardship for many Americans, but the healthcare industry is one of the most profitable behind big oil and real estate. I was with American Re and know these facts to be true. #5 Think of all of the abortions that would never happen if new mothers knew that the huge expense of healthcare would not be their burden alone. How competitive would GM be if they were no longer under the crushing burden of high healthcare costs as opposed to Japanese, Korean and European auto makers. Health insurance companies are a powerful special interest group , but you voters have the power! How could Obama's healthcare plan be such a bad thing?

Public Comments

1. As a small business owner, who currently provides health care for my employees, I will tell you how bad. My rates are already sky high because ALL union worker (government employee mainly) insurance is sold at a loss and the profits are made up by plans such as mine. So, the government worker, with the best health care anywhere, pays less than COST. Obama stated, quite plainly, he will take away 1/2 the write off for me to provide insurance to my employees. I cannot afford to pay taxes on 50% of the cost. I already pay income taxes on MY health care. And, I haven't drawn a paycheck in 2 years. So, when he ups the taxes AND the insurance company, once again, ups my premiums to pay for even more big government insurance, I will no longer be able to afford to pay it for my employees, nor my family. As, my income is low, lower than my lowest paid employee, my family and my employees will all go on the government plan. Heck, it is better insurance anyway. And my company will not be the only one that is forced to do it. Welcome to the new America, where no one works and everyone pays. Wonder how long that is going to hold out?
2. Obama's health care plan is way better than McCain's. McCain will give the insurance company 5000 dollars but will tax your employer health care benefits (more income tax) and will cut funding for medicare and medicaid by 882 billion dollars to fund his bad plan. this is a dangerous plan that can hurt millions of senior citizens and working families.
3. One reason. It doesn't work. Socialized medicine isn't working in Europe and it's failing miserably in Canada. People love it (apart from the super high taxes) because they feel they'll be covered if they get sick. Then they get sick and die waiting for care. Take a look at HMO's - a government inspired health care program. Satisfaction has dropped since they started - both doctor AND patient. Plus, people would rather decide on the best course of treatment with their doctor rather than having a bureaucrat decide. Wouldn't you? Look at the Veteran's Administration hospitals. Can you honestly tell me you'd rather go to a VA for your health care than a private hospital? Because the VA is an example of government run health care. His plan has been tried and failed in Hawaii. Unintended consequences. Take a look: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/ap_on_he_me/child_health_hawaii_4
4. Government controlled. Thats why;
5. Obama wants to copy Canada's health care system and make it socialized. Canada's health care is failing. Why is it that Canada sends all their serious ill citizens to the US for treatments? Because there are no qualified Doctors in Canada to care for them. Why would anyone want to choose medicine as a career if the health care system is socialized? Doctors wont make any money. Our doctors will end up being unqualified. We will not receive the best medical treatments if Obama changes our health care system, period...
6. You couldn't be more wrong about McCain's health plan. Currently your medical benefits are not included in your income. If you have worked at companies that have scaled health plans depending on the employee level then you know that executives get great benefits which are not taxed. Suppose you have a normal family medical insurance plan at work and you co-pay 50% of your premium, say $226 a month out of about $500. (Just estimates). If you have an insurance co-pay you are probably already paying taxes on your medical insurance. You have a gross income which includes the money that you co-pay for your insurance. If you itemize your deductions you can deduct your premiums from your gross. McCain is proposing disallowing that itemized deduction and including the total value of your insurance premium in your gross income, then giving you a medical deduction max of 5K. Your income goes up about 3k on average and you get to deduct that. For people who take the standard deduction nothing really changes much. If you have really great medical benefits, say you are an executive with no co-pays, you end up having more income which ends up adding to your tax burden. Your employer pays nothing extra in taxes since medical benefits are still deductible as a business expense, medical benefits will be included in income and taxed for those receiving the benefit. I could explain how screwed up Obama's plan is, but, if you didn't understand McCain's plan which is much simpler then you won't understand Obama's. Essentially Obama makes it easier for rich people to avoid taxes by claiming medical deductions and people who do not itemize will pay more in taxes.