Senator Obama believes healthcare is a right. Senator McCain described healthcare as a "responsibility" (without clarifying whose responsibility it is!). Senator McCain said he would give each family a $5,000 tax cut to pay for healthcare insurance. How far does the $5,000 go? Here are the facts:
• After paying a monthly premium of approximately $ 650-800, depending on age, for a basic HMO in-network service, a couple must also pay 20% co-insurance for diagnostic X-ray, lab tests, oxygen and equipment, prosthetic devices, anesthesia and ambulatory care.
• They will also pay a $4,000 annual deductible, $250 per emergency room visit, $25 per doctor visit, and an annual deductible of $500 and co-pay of $15-$50 for prescription drugs.
• The costs of annual check-ups and routine required exams couldn't be deducted from the $4,000 deductible.
The above example of a basic HMO plan is similar for all healthcare plans. The couple could end up paying $12.000.00 plus a year, just to have basic health insurance but they would also incur additional costs, for example when they go out of network. Check out these added costs by going to this link:
http://www.bluecrossma.com/com...
How many people can afford Senator McCain's healthcare plan? Very few! Basic HMO coverage will cost a couple $7,800-$9,000 per year for premiums alone. Add to this is the required $4,000.00 deductible. Yes, insurance companies provide services with better coverage without deductibles, but the premiums range from $1,550 - $1,850 per month, $18,000-22,000 per year per couple depending on age. That is way above the annual $5,000 tax reduction you would be offered by Senator McCain.
To rub salt into the wound, for those who currently have employer-funded health benefits, Senator McCain says he is going to make you pay taxes on those benefits. What he gives with one hand (as inadequate a sum as that is) he plans to take with the other! Senator Obama would not tax these benefits.
Senator Obama wants you to keep your current health insurance if you are happy with it. If you do not have health insurance, he will provide you with the same healthcare plan he and Senator McCain have as Senators.
If you have healthcare insurance, you are already paying a lot. Senator Obama wants you to pay less. He will bring together all stakeholders, including insurance companies, to bring about reductions in overall healthcare costs.
We all get sick sometimes. If you do not have health insurance you will probably need to rely on emergency room services. Serious illnesses and expensive medical procedures can be minimized for those with access to preventive healthcare services available to those with healthcare insurance. Senator McCain's plan may be fine for you if you can afford it. But the last thing you need when you are sick is to have to worry about how to pay for treatment. And the last thing you need is to have to avoid visiting doctors when you are sick because you cannot afford it. The last thing you need to hear is "sorry, we could treat you but you do not have healthcare insurance". This is very cruel. Our system, unlike the healthcare systems established by our OECD partners, rewards you when you are healthy but punishes you when you are sick. Senator Obama does not want to punish you when you are sick.
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