John McCain wants to give your family $5,000 bucks to buy healthcare

[OmahaBlueDog]

This is about $417 a month.

"The health plan you chose would be as good as any that an employer could choose for you. It would be yours and your family's health care plan, and yours to keep," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080429/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_health_care

Now, I assume, because John McCain -- an honorable war veteran and all around good egg -- said this, it must be true. But what do you think? Can I get healthcare for my family of 4, just as good as the PPO I have through my company, for $417 a month?

Share your thoughts with me on this :-)

[Vinca]

1. Throw another $600 or so at the $417, don't have a pre-existing condition

and you, too, can buy a high deductible insurance plan. McCain is so far out of touch it's ridiculous.

[phillysuse]

2. My Cobra for two people over 60

costs $1684/month.

[lisa58]

3. that's gonna go far...

...does he know how much is spent on acquiring his healthcare - he obviously doesn't pay for it.

[thevoiceofreason]

4. And let's see, all this money out there chasing healthcare

I wonder which way prices would go?


Thinking


Thinking


Thinking


Alec, I'll take up for $2000.

[MNDemNY]

5. Only if you pay 5000 a year in federal taxes.

and don't count fica in that number.If you are poor and pay little or no taxes, you get little or no help.

[sandnsea]

6. 2 people, over 50, $1,000 month

Mine is subsidized though, so I pay much much less than that. But if I only had McCain's plan, nope, no health care.

And why do people think Hillary's tax credit is going to help?

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. He's not actually giving you $5000, it's a tax deduction.

How many people that really need & can't pay for it even pay $5000/year in fed taxes?

[sandnsea]

9. I think he said tax credit

So the word we need to use, is "refundable". Is it "refundable", because then you don't have to have paid taxes for it to be useful.

[lisa58]

8. What a fucking asshole....

....I am so sick of the GOP - they haven't got a clue.

The good news is: This election is already won by the democrats - can't wait for the campaign for the general - McCain is going to be buried in his own shit.

[AlinPA]

10. Giving $5000? Bulls---. it's another republican "tax break" and nothing ever happens.

[Mountainman]

11. It's only as good as the willingness of the provider you go to, to contract with your insurance

company.

I was a controller of a medical clinic until Oct of last year. We were not getting enough from the insurance companies to cover expenses so we told them to renegotiate a new contract or we would not do business with them. That meant that the patient had to pay out of pocket. We just would not accept insurance companies that didn't pay at least what medicare paid.

Here is another trick they pulled. The insurance company would buy up a smaller company that paid providers less and then only paid those lower rates. We stopped accepting their business unless they paid what the contract stipulated for each procedure code.


So you can buy cheap insurance but you coverage may be nothing. We need to take the profit motive out of health care all together. We need to spend more on preventative medicine and we need a single payer, the federal government paid out of taxes.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

12. My company pays $640 per month for my family of 4

and I pay an additional $800. McCain is so clueless and out of touch, it's amazing he can find his way to the bathroom.

[Donnachaidh]

13. for hemophiliacs, that is the equivalent of 5 doses of factor

Now consider this -- children with severe hemophilia need at least one dose per DAY. One dose is $1,000. Do the math for a year -- do you think the parents of that child will be appreciative of McLame's offer? And secondly, do you think ANY healthcare plan the GOP comes up with will cover those children?

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. It's funny how they abhor Darwin but embrace survival of the fittest.

[Lasher]

14. This is a Trojan horse that's been easy to see coming.

Dangle some measley tax credits that would soon be overrun by inflation, get people to go for high deductible catastrophic-only coverage coupled with health savings accounts, and help employers put an end to all contributions they are making to support health care benefits for their employees and retirees. It's clear a McSame presidency would be nothing else but a third George W. Bush term. I wouldn't be surprised if her were to pick Lord Vader as his VP running mate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=210673

[Fleshdancer]

15. No. I want YOUR healthcare plan John.

Anything less is bullshit

[flvegan]

17. DING DING DING

Winnah!

[brentspeak]

19. Exactly

:thumbsup:

[Warpy]

18. Well, that's a big help to those of us who are uninsurable

No GOP is addressing this particular version of hell, nor will they.

[catnhatnh]

20. I hope he isn't lying....

because I've got medicare that costs me a little over $1000 dollars a year and the extra 4K might actually make up for the true inflation losses in my SS disability in the last 9 years!

[ColbertWatcher]

21. Which of McCain's Lobbyist friends is in the medical field? n/t

[sammythecat]

22. Here's my thought.

Why in the hell isn't he trying to get everyone the same health care he's provided with? That's a question I'd like to here him answer. Hillary and Obama too.

What's with this "working to improve health care" and "working to make it more affordable" shit. Fuck that! I want precisely the same health care they get. No compromise. The exact same thing. The best. For free. For life. For everybody.

The military can pay for it. They've been getting every goddamned toy they want forever. Amaheebajob, or whatever his name is, may or may not be coming to our neighborhoods, but cancer, heart disease, diabetes, infirmity, and old age are already on the way and they WILL arrive. No may or may not about it, THAT is a guarantee.