McCain Campaign Says Your Health Care Plan Is Better Than Theirs

This is literally a "DUH" moment for most of the commentors here. We have been saying this for weeks but nobody paid us much attention except KT and then it was only to try to say Obama's ad was a scare tactic. I hope people start seeing the double talk that McCain is doing with his Health Care plan before its too late. By the way DHE has made that "they won't leave" statement for months now

One might want to compare both candidates plans. A responsible journalist would provide the data for readers. In lieu of that happening on this post, let me give you the editoral from the NY Times which gives you a side-by-side comparison. For your own opinion. AMC you could have posted this too, y'know?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/opinion/28tue1.html?ref=opinion

sgwhite is absolutely correct. We have been fussing about this for a long time. The bit about the employers likely dropping it has been a well kept secret - I think people have no understanding of this. The cost of coverage for a family won't begin to be made up in the McCain plan. Yet another hidden benefit for business!

First honest thing they've said all campaign.

I just got the same email a little while ago.
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It links to a "fact check" from the McCain campaign. It's funny. It includes a keeno capsule graphic for the Fact/Fiction dichotomy.
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http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb527cf.htm

Guess what, do you think employers would pass the savings from not paying insurance premiums on to their employees in the form of wage increases?

I think not. But watch CEOs bonuses grow.

Is that what they mean by "An Inconvenient Truth"?

This one might be the funniest.
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OBAMA FICTION
Americans With Pre-Existing Condition Under The McCain Plan Will Not Find Coverage.
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THE FACTS
John McCain believes that no American should be denied access to quality and affordable coverage simply because of a pre-existing condition. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow – a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP – that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.
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That's a very long-winded way of saying "Yes, that's true."

Bwa-ha-ha! Did DHE hold up his Blackberry to demonstrate McCain's accomplishments or did he go for the defibrillator?

When we had this discussion with KT this summer, the New England Journal of Medecine had published a comparison of the two plans. The link is not in the format I recall, but does provide some information.
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http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/359/8/781.pdf

And it's not a "gaffe," AMC. It's pretty much a lie. Or, if you prefer, distracting spin.

re-edited version do you think employers would pass the savings from not paying insurance premiums on to their employees in the form of wage increases?
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I think not. But watch CEOs bonuses grow.

std- you're new handle is funnier, at least.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A-feObF-lc
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Makes me think of a John Cage version, with pasta and cheese as instruments.

Off topic...McCain land swap with Keating associate

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/254/story/54851.html

Hah. That's interesting. WordPress oonverts embeds into hyperlinks.

"Why would they?"
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I worked for a company that was bought out. At the company meeting the question was asked "Are you going to close this office?" The answer by the new owner "Why would we?"
Closed 12 months later.
Whenever someone uses a rhetorical question that should send up a red flag.
Or am I wrong?

One of the irritating things at this stage of the campaign is that nobody really explains anything in the least bit clearly. The real intention of the Republican health care plans is to increase the cost of encounters, so that people use less health care. But they can't say that out loud. Neither can Obama. It's too complicated a point to make. It's like Obama's claim that not one penny of tax relief will go to 100 million Americans. In this case, he's using the republicans' favorite definition of "tax" to mean "the federal personal income tax." But McCain can't point that out because it's 1) too complicated, and 2) nothing he can afford to have people understand.

Why would you be?

jayack,

I send you a virtual chocolate pierrot puppet for getting the joke. I figured if Cox could make a John Cage allusion I could throw in a little Schoenberg. And I actually really like that piece. The staying power of its weirdness (1912 premiere) is awe inspiring.

THE FACTS
The McCain health plan builds on the employer-based system. Employers will have the same incentive to provide health insurance as they do today since they will continue to deduct the cost of health insurance they provide to employees.
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Another funny one. Yes they would have the same tax incentive. But the reason they offer these plans is not so they can deduct them from their taxes. The reason they offer these plans is to attract and retain workers. The tax incentive lowers their cost for doing so, but it is still a substantial cost. If there is an alternative method of getting insurance, they can say to their employees that this benefit is no longer needed and save money. And, in the worst case scenario, they'll all do it, as in the replacing of pensions with 401Ks and not use the benefit as a means of attracting and retaining workers.

Wages wouldn't go up if employers stopped paying premiums, would they?

Why go for clarity, when you can obfuscate?

Amplifying, this is like saying that people take out mortgages because they can deduct the interest from their taxes. No, they take out mortgages because otherwise they can't buy the house. The tax incentive encourages them to direct their monthly housing check to a mortgage rather than a landlord, but it is not WHY they take out a mortgage.
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Hilarity.
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And at this stage they are still playing defense on what is arguably the most pressing issue in most people's lives right now. Losing a job weighs heavily, but one reason it does is if you lose insurance, you are effectively toast.

Wages wouldn't go up if employers stopped paying premiums, would they?

If labor markets were truly freely competitive, wages would go up by more than the premium. There are substantial administrative costs in addition to the premium itself.

I have it on vinyl, pastapocketboy. Haven't listened to it in years.
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Making pierogie is part of my extended family's christmas tradition.