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Los Angeles TimesMcCain aide Douglas Holtz-Eakin says young, healthy workers probably wouldn't give up their company-sponsored healthcare plans for the $5,000 tax credit McCain plans to offer.
By Seema Mehta and Michael Muskal
5:01 PM PDT, October 28, 2008
REPORTING FROM HARRISONBURG, VA., AND LOS ANGELES -- Barack Obama seized on comments by a top aide to John McCain about the Republican's healthcare plan, saying that they amounted to an "October surprise" at a boisterous rally today in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
"This morning, we were offered a stunning bit of straight talk . . . from his top economic advisor, who actually said that the health insurance people currently get from their employer is, and I quote, 'way better' than the healthcare they'd be getting if John McCain were president," Obama told 8,000 supporters crammed into the convocation center at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. About 12,000 more stood outside.
"This is the point I've been making since Sen. McCain unveiled his plan," Obama said. "It took until the last seven days of this election for his campaign to finally admit the truth. But better late than never."
Obama was referring to a quote from McCain's senior economic advisor, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who told CNNMoney.com that young, healthy workers probably wouldn't give up their company-sponsored plans for the $5,000 tax credit McCain would offer to offset the cost of purchasing private insurance.
"Why would they leave?" Holtz-Eakin said. "What they are getting from their employer is way better than what they could get with the credit."
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http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign29-2008oct29,0,2864131.story