McCain's health-care plan criticized in Cleveland

Source: Columbus Dispatch

Thursday, May 1, 2008 7:50 PM
By Mark Niquette

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
CLEVELAND—Peggi Cella has watched an increasing number of uninsured residents come to her community health center during the past few years, and many don't have any money for health care after paying for their basic needs.

Although Cella liked some of what presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain had to say today about reforming health care during his second campaign trip to Ohio in as many weeks, she left disappointed.

“I just really think he oversimplified something that's not simple at all,” said Cella, an executive assistant and health-center advocate at the federally funded Neighborhood Family Practice on Cleveland's near west side.

But Cella also sees major flaws with the universal-coverage plans offered by the Democratic candidates, and says the nation needs a bipartisan health-care discussion and solution.

McCain stopped at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic today and took questions from Cella and others at a forum on health care. The stop followed a campaign trip April 22 to Youngstown that emphasized the economy.



Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/05/01/mccain_health_new.html?sid=101

K&R

everyone...just keep talking about hill and obama...McCain who?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/us/politics/01mccain.html?ref=health

McCain Health Plan Could Mean Higher Tax

By KEVIN SACK and MICHAEL COOPER

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Though Senator John McCain has promised to not raise taxes, his campaign acknowledged Wednesday that the health plan he outlined this week would have the effect of increasing tax payments for some workers, primarily those with high incomes and expensive health plans.<snip>

Mr. Holtz-Eakin calculated that workers in the top income tax bracket would have to pay more in taxes if their employers have been contributing at least $14,285 toward a family insurance premium. Nationwide, the average cost of a family policy is $12,106, with employers paying $8,824 of that amount.
<snip>

On the Democratic side, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York also wants to change the tax treatment of employee health benefits, though not as radically as Mr. McCain. She has proposed limiting the exclusion for those earning more than $250,000, about 2 percent of workers. Under her plan, which would raise an estimated $2 billion to support universal health coverage, high earners would pay taxes on the part of employer-provided health benefits that exceed a standard policy. Mrs. Clinton has not defined where that limit would be set.

Her Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, has not proposed changing the tax exclusion.

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