Senator McCain has been eager to share some details of his health care plan -- but not all. Like those ads for prescription drugs, you have to read the fine print to learn the full story.Answer: Barack Obama, October 17, 2008, in Roanoke, Virginia.
First, we found out that he wants to pay for his plan by taxing your health care benefits for the first time in history, just like George Bush. That was bad enough.
But the Wall Street Journal recently reported that it’s actually worse than we thought. It turns out, Senator McCain would pay for part of his plan by making drastic cuts in Medicare--$882 billion worth. $882 billion in Medicare cuts to pay for an ill-conceived health care plan, even as Medicare already faces a looming shortfall.
Now, this should come as no surprise -- it’s entirely consistent with Senator McCain’s record during his 26 years in Congress where, time and again, he’s opposed Medicare. In fact, Senator McCain has voted against protecting Medicare 40 times. 40 times, he’s failed to stand up for Medicare.
So what would Senator McCain’s cuts mean for Medicare at a time when more and more Americans are relying on it?
It would mean a cut of more than 20 percent in Medicare benefits next year. If you count on Medicare, it would mean fewer places to get care, and less freedom to choose your own doctors. You’ll pay more for your drugs, receive fewer services, and get lower quality care.
I don’t think that’s right.
(via The Corner)
2 comments:
Wow. A perfect example of campaigning on taxing the Rich, then governing by revealing that the Rich is you.
"First, we found out that he wants to pay for his plan by taxing your health care benefits for the first time in history, just like George Bush."
Actually, I could see this working...
a) at present, employers pay before tax benefits. No tax paid.
b)change that to employer now has to include it in the taxable compensation, but employee has the option of buying his/her own insurance, and cost of that insurance is then deductible on the 1040 even without a Schedule A. Result is that the employee chooses his/her own insurance or gets a pay raise, the insurance is still tax free but the employee pays additional tax if s/he takes a raise.
"It would mean a cut of more than 20 percent in Medicare benefits next year."
Well...you know...Medicare _is_ a form of socialism. As is social security. You know that. If we really want to get away from that, then we need to look at how we can encourage people to save enough to meet their own needs, and if there are people who are simply incapable of doing so, then those _few_ should be given charity of some sort. I do believe it would be few.
It couldn't happen quickly, but should be something in line with Bush's plan to privatize SS.
And none of this will work without tort reform.
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