Stance at a Glance: Compare the Candidat

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Stance at a Glance: Compare the Candidat
23
Mon, 07-07-2008 - 3:38pm
Stance at a Glance: Compare the Candidates

Our comparison chart of all the candidates and where they stand on key health issues.


http://www.webmd.com/election2008/comparecandidates?ecd=wnl_day_070708


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Mon, 07-07-2008 - 10:46pm

Exactly!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Mon, 07-07-2008 - 10:50pm

McCain's plan is for every person in America - Obama's plan isn't.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2008
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 3:35am

Not true. And I sell individual & group insurance

1. Mccain's plan, as indicated below does not force you, nor the employer to abolish group plans in favor of an individual plan.....it gives you the option of both

2. HSAs have been around for years now......it's a high-deductible health plan attached to a savings account in which the savings is used to pay for medical costs until the deductible is met. Either you or the employer or both can contribute to the plan and both receive an "above-the-line" tax deduction. More and more employers are signing up for these plans since it does in fact save the employer's money. There are "NO" taxes involved if withdrawn funds are used for medical expenses (like the FSA).

3. Do you know what your employer is paying the insurance company as an overall monthly premium (versus your portion) ? My guess is a lot more than you think, because insurance companies require the employer to pay a minimum of 50% of the overall premium and your company could be paying a lot higher percentage to keep good talent. The size of the group does not necessarily mean a larger group will have better rates.

4. What the group pays as a monthly expense depends on not just how well the contract was negotiated, but a lot of specifics such as average age of group, gender, occupation, # of smokers & preexisting conditions.

5. On a group plan, you are not given a certificate of coverage, which outlines exactly the limitations and exclusions, so you may not have the best coverage for your unique family situation. You just think its great because your employer is subsidizing the bulk of the premiums, but the most important factor is what are the lifetime maximums and limitations on medical conditions to include prescription maximums.

While both plans are short on fine details, all countries with socialized health care have higher tax rates and/or lower thresholds before you get bumped up to the next level, so you could be hurting your own upward mobility with UHC.

I used to have some source material, which indicated 68% of the uninsured could actually afford it but chose not to purchase it. I'm not sure I still have it.

That said, the government does need to get involved on this

John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform (from his web site)

John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable

John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.

John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 8:02am
We have a health savings account as well as health insurance which we pay for partially ourselves.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-03-2008
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 8:08am

Yes, and what YOUR employer pays as their portion towards your ins will be tacked on as INCOME. Part of your yearly salary/compensation. So, if your Employer pays 6,000 towards YOUR ins. and you pay 4,000 as your part, YOU will have to add 6,000 onto your yearly compensation whih can in some cases push you into another higher bracket by as little as 5.00! Think about THAT one.


I know many companies are now not hiring smokers,have smoke ening classes, and disallow any smoking on their property. some will FIRE you if you do not quit smoking. you can't even smoke on your own personal time!

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 9:23am

because insurance companies require the employer to pay a minimum of 50% of the overall premium


This may be true in your state - it is not true in others, including the state I reside in.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2008
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 11:11am
Do you have source material which substantiates the employer's contribution is treated as "income"? I did not see this on Mccain's website.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2008
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 11:16am

Could you share a little more info here ?

What state are you ?

What percentage of your monthly premium does your employer pay ?

What ins. company are you with ?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 11:44am

I'm not going to share private information on a public site, but I can tell you that I used to be the office manager of a construction company here, and the amount that we paid for an employee's plan went according to how long they had been employed.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2008
Thu, 07-10-2008 - 12:35pm

Fair enough, but I was only trying to determine the overall cost to the employer as a percentage. Confused how that is so personal, since I was not asking for the name of the employer.

Since you are in a state that does not mandate health coverage, you are aware that either the employer OR the insurance company can drop your group plan at any time, no ?

It behooves you to know what the total cost is, because you will be paying it (COBRA rate), or going on your husband's plan if you lose coverage.

Obama's plan does indeed mandate coverage.....that's why HE calls it "universal health coverage"