McCain Campaign: Employer-based Health Care better than McCain's credit

[brooklynite]

from Politico:

The Obama campaign is jumping on the acknowledgment today by McCain's top economic adviser that a $5,000 health care tax credit alone won't pay for coverage as extensive as most Americans get from their employers.

Doug Holtz-Eakin has made the case before that employees are unlikely — as the Obama campaign charges to drop out of employer-sponsored plans, because the employer's contribution should make up even for the discount a young, healthy worker would get on his own.

He put it particularly directly to CNN Money:

Younger, healthier workers likely wouldn't abandon their company-sponsored plans, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain's senior economic policy adviser.

"Why would they leave?" said Holtz-Eakin. "What they are getting from their employer is way better than what they could get with the credit."

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Whoa!!!

A little dose of (unintentional) "straight talk," perhaps? :wow:

Now how long before the McCain campaign "disappears" Holtz-Eakin or he issues a "clarification?" ;-)

[TxRider]

2. I think he misses the boat...

If everyone got $5k credit for insurance, a whole lot of small employers wouldn't have to worry about employees leaving their insurance...

Many of those small employers might drop their coverage plans for employees entirely and let employees fend for themselves with their 5k credit.

[Phredicles]

3. Is this a good time to say, "This needs to go viral!!!!!!!"?

But seriously, people ought to know about it, and the Obama campaign should give it plenty of attention.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. Isn't this the billionth screwup this guy has made?

[Overseas]

5. Well Mr. McCain Invented The Blackberry, you think the choice is up to the employee, do you?

"Younger healthier workers wouldn't ABANDON" their employer sponsored plans?

You think it will be UP TO THEM?

Hey Hey, employees will choose to stay with the employers' plans. Oh, great. All's well then.

Never mind that many employers will drop the huge expense of insuring their employees because the government will be handling it.

Oh no, those wonderfully generous companies will continue to bear the burden of paying for health insurance even though they know their employees could get a government credit. Yes Mr. Blackberry, sure they would. Uh huh.

I'll bet you still believe in Trickle Down Economics after 30 years of declining standards of living for most of us.

[TxRider]

8. It's funny

I would have thought I would have heard this out of some campaign or the press, but I haven't.

As for trickle down, I'm not so sure "free trade" hasn't been more responsible for declining standards...

[Overseas]

9. Sorry pal, "cut taxes for the rich and the poor will benefit"

is the winner in the "what the hell happened" category. We are still waiting for the trickle down.

While we can track the billions that have gone from the middle class and poor up to the rich and see how their standard of living has improved, we can also track how the buying power of the average worker has declined considerably.

Tax cuts for the rich include all kinds of loopholes and subsidies for the activities of the already wealthy corporations.

[Vinca]

6. They should also mention that McCain wants to do away with the

employer's business deduction for providing healthcare and that will be an incentive for employers to drop it.

[DerekJ]

7. K & R

[TheKentuckian]

10. Meanwhile, Obama will be helping small businesses

with a 50% tax credit and will be working to help us as consumers to reduce the costs as well.

McGollum will make matters worse, will make coverage more expensive due to increased taxes, and add people to the uninsured and Obama well encourage companies that can't/won't afford to provide this crucial benefit at a drastically reduced cost. Many others will see the quality of coverage reduced because of forcing people into the bargain bin for coverage that they can stretch to afford.