Quote :

"i'm talking about the profits of private insurance companies, not individual doctor salaries."

So what level would you say is an "acceptable" level of profit. If they're unable to make a profit they go under and then no one has insurance. Insurance has to be a profitable venture for companies to go into it.

5/1/2008 4:30:27 PM

^not if they operate as non-profits....employees still make salary and expenses covered, but profits are reinvested to benefit the entire group.

5/1/2008 4:51:47 PM

Quote :

"No he doesn't. Read his plan again. He proposes to change the current tax credit given to employees so that instead all taxpayers get a $2500 tax credit to spend on medical bills at their discretion. The concept is to return the decision-making process to families, rather than having corporations decide who provides your healthcare. The tax credit for employer-provided health insurance would still be in effect, however."

And if you have an income tax liability under $2,500 you get none of that money.

5/1/2008 5:52:56 PM

You don't even know how tax credits work, do you?

5/1/2008 7:07:01 PM

You have obviously missed the point. Providing tax credits only work if you end up owing money in taxes. If you are already getting all the money back (poor folk) then it is impossible for you to take advantage of the tax credit. Therefore, you gain nothing. It's you who doesn't understand why this system will not work


Also, the McCain plan does remove the employer tax credit.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Campaign08/tb/9294

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 7:27 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 7:25:02 PM

How could this be so hard for you to understand?

He's removing the employee insurance tax credit and replacing it with a general medical tax credit available to everyone who pays taxes.

Employer tax credits (the incentives businesses have to insure their workers) would not be affected.

And it seems that you are missing the point. The tax credits aren't designed for the government to help people pay their medical bills. The idea is to lower prices through more price transparency and active decision-making by families as opposed to insurance companies.

Quote :

"Workers content with the job-related benefits would be able to keep that coverage under his plan. "But for every American who wanted it … they would receive a tax credit directly, with the same cash value of the credits for employees in big companies, in a small business, or self-employed. You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best." McCain would give a $2,500 annual tax credit to individuals, and $5,000 to families, to purchase their own coverage. Individuals could shop in an open market. Competing insurers, he said, would have to be more accommodating to win their business. He also would expand use of health savings accounts, tax-preferred accounts that "put the family in charge of what they pay for." "Insurance companies could no longer take your business for granted, offering narrow plans with escalating costs," he said, adding that patients should be able to buy nationwide policies that can move from state to state. "Right now, there is a different health insurance market for every state," he said. "Each one has its own rules and restrictions, and often guarantees inadequate competition among insurance companies. Often these circumstances prevent the best companies, with the best plans and lowest prices, from making their product available to any American who wants it. We need to break down these barriers … and establish a national market." Greater candor about health costs is essential. The system "has become less transparent in ways we would find unacceptable in any other industry," McCain said. "Most physician groups and medical providers don't publish their prices, leaving Americans to guess about the cost of care, or else to find out later when they try to make sense of an endless series of "explanation of benefits" forms. "Americans should have access to information about the performance and safety records of doctors and other healthcare providers and the quality measures they use," he said. "

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 7:51 PM. Reason : 2]

5/1/2008 7:45:49 PM

Do facts have no bearing on you?

McCain's plan means no more employer-based health insurance. End result is more people without health insurance. What good is lowering costs if more people do not have health insurance?

Also, you fail to understand the fundamental flaw with a tax credit, in that you have to have a tax liability above breaking even for the tax credit to mean anything to you.

how many sources do you need?

http://www.factcheck.org/mccains_5000_promise.html

Quote :

"The tax credits aren't designed for the government to help people pay their medical bills. The idea is to lower prices through more price transparency and active decision-making by families as opposed to insurance companies. "

so we are left with the exact same drain on the medical system. Bravo.

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 7:55 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 7:54:12 PM

^ probably still better than having my income tax jacked up 5%-10% to pay for hillary's we love poor people universal health care and welfare enlargement.

5/1/2008 8:04:23 PM

If you receive healthcare from you employer, that would be considered income, so you would be taxed more.

also, Hillary's plan is flawed too.

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 8:08 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 8:07:28 PM

hillarys plan would never pass...its not feasable

5/1/2008 8:11:31 PM

Quote :

"If you receive healthcare from you employer, that would be considered income, so you would be taxed more."

yeah i don't quite agree with that.

5/1/2008 8:21:19 PM

Quote :

"McCain's plan means no more employer-based health insurance."

Nutsmackr, it's obvious that you can't read.

Quote :

"Workers content with the job-related benefits would be able to keep that coverage under his plan. "But for every American who wanted it … they would receive a tax credit directly, with the same cash value of the credits for employees in big companies, in a small business, or self-employed. You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best." "

Just stop, you're making yourself look dumber with every post.

5/1/2008 8:25:02 PM

I guess you do not know how to read

Quote :

"McCain’s plan to tax workers on the value of their employer-provided health care plans and provide tax credits would encourage some employers, mainly small businesses, to drop health benefits, say experts, and the proposal could eventually eliminate job-based insurance altogether. "

factcheck.org

5/1/2008 8:43:18 PM