Time's Joe Klein: McCain's Health Care Tax Increase

[flpoljunkie]

September 11, 2008

McCain's Health Care Tax Increase
Posted by Joe Klein

A new rule here: Rather than do the McCain campaign's bidding by wasting space on Senator Honor's daily lies and bilge--his constant attempts to divert attention from substantive issues--I'm going to assume that others will spend more than enough time on the sewage that Steve Schmidt is shoveling and, from now on, try to stick to the issues.

Today's issue: health insurance. John McCain wants to tax your employer-provided health care benefits. He wants to replace those benefits with an insufficient tax credit--$2500 for individuals and $5000 for families (the average cost per family for health insurance is $12000).

There is a positive, progressive tax aspect to this: wealthier people should have to pay for health insurance themselves, without tax breaks from the federal government.

But make no mistake: this plan will do little or nothing for those who do not have insurance now--unless they are young and healthy--and it may well hurt a fair number of workers, especially unionized workers, who get gold-plated benefits from their employers.

It will certainly do nothing for families with members who have pre-existing conditions or children with special needs--because it makes no provision to regulate the insurers, forcing them to cover all comers at "community" rates that don't discriminate against the people who need health insurance most.

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/mccains_health_care_tax_increa.html

[BeyondGeography]

1. Klein is on the warpath

I wonder if he'll stay pissed off until Election Day. Something tells me he will.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Yes, thank you, Joe Klein, for doing your job!

[ErinBerin84]

2. wow.

" Senator Honor's daily lies".

[liberal N proud]

4. The McCain Shell Game

[TheZug]

5. But why the hell does it take Klein to do this, and not Obama???

[jbnow]

17. Obama does talk about this, it just isn't covered. I first

found out about it hearing Obama in a town hall and wondered if he was exaggerating some. When I started reading about it the plan was even worse.

I use to watch many town halls live on CNN (streaming video there quit working for me. I so miss seeing them) I heard him bring up McCain's plan a few times and also describe his own very well. I assume he still does. But since they only cover him talking about lipstick on TV and don't bother even reporting on it that clearly isn't enough.

There should be ads on this and I am sure there will be.

Watching Obama campaign was great but then it drove me crazy when TV "analysts" /pundits/big mouths will criticize Obama saying "Obama should be out talking about XYZ" because Obama was way ahead of them. He is great in town halls and that is where he goes into even more detail.

[Meshuga]

6. Klein is doing his job as a journalist

I am glad that he is not intimidated by the bulling from the McCain campaign. I have a lot of respect for him.

Go Klein!!!

[WinkyDink]

7. This needs to be off the Blog and INTO TIME MAGAZINE.

Or maybe JK can write another "Anonymous" revelation about McCain/Palin.

[NewJeffCT]

8. This would be HUGE if it made the news cycle

just about every employer in the country would be forced to drop health insurance and people would be forced to scramble to buy their own insurance.

Without the weight of an employer negotiating lower rates for their employees, the rates for individual families would go up, and the $12,000/year amount would likely go up - meaning, the $5,000 credit won't amount to a hill of beans for most people.

I would guess that instead of 47 million uninsured, we would easily double that amount, if not triple.

[Meshuga]

9. That is known for a while and I remember people here in DU saying that

Obama could run on this alone to win the election. People like me who have insurance through their employer would be screwed because we are going to end up with worse coverage. Now we have our employers to negotiate better coverage with the health insurance but with McCain's plan we (the little guy) will have to negotiate with the insurance companies on our own.

McCain's plan takes away our power and gives power to the insurance companies. This is scary as hell and it affects me (and millions of others who get isurance through their employers) in a really negative way. :scared:

I am sure Obama is calculating to use this issue at one point or another. This healthcare issue is good to keep fresh in October when this could hurt McCain pretty badly. Using it now will give McCain time to heal. So I see why the delay from the campaign to use this.

[flpoljunkie]

12. I think you are right, here.

[flpoljunkie]

11. Yes, but it would be enough to buy a "Health Savings Account"--which is a longtime Republican goal.

[RamboLiberal]

10. Obama needs to make an ad about the Health Insurance Tax

IMHO this will scare the crap out of many voters about McCain.

[PA Democrat]

14. I agree. Every time I bring this issue up with someone, it is the first time they

have heard it. The MSM is not covering issues that Americans SHOULD be aware of.

[jbnow]

13. This should be brought up over and over and it's

enough to make me crazy when some McCain shill says something like "McCain will fix our health care system and still let you choose your own doctor"...and the Dem doesn't jump on it.

Or even when I hear McCain is just the same as Bush. No, this is worse (among other policies that make thing worse) Many employers will drop insurance.
McCain is making it easier to shop around for insurance and says this free market thing will make it all fine. To help insurance rates go lower they won't require them to cover anything, insurances pick what they want to cover.

TRhis would make everything even worse, much worse than it is now. That is not the same.

[uponit7771]

15. I talked to a McSame supporter about the health care and their response is always choice related as

...if paying 8 to 12k a year is a real "choice".

[creeksneakers2]

16. This should be a much bigger issue

It hasn't been discussed enough. It would be a great subject for ads.

[area51]

18. Kick on this important issue.

McBush wants to raise your taxes, and make sure that you can't afford healthcare. Unhappy about the 273 people dying /every day/ due to lack of healthcare in the U.S.? It'll be a much higher figure when McBush's pro-death healthcare plan goes into effect.

[flpoljunkie]

19. Thanks! The American people need to understand this, and McCain's plan to privatize SS, as well.

[ramapo]

20. I don't know why Obama doesn't raise this every day

Nobody knows about this substantial tax increase planned for the middle-class