McCain blissfully ignorant on Health Care Issues

John McCain believes that the private sector can provide health care sufficiently for all Americans.

Ideally, I would love for that to be true. Unfortunately, most companies are in the money making business without regard for the clients they serve.

One can only conclude that John McCain is either...

1) not in touch or blissfully ignorant of our growing healthcare issues in America

2) he just doesn't care about our health (survival of the richest doctrine) or..

3) he is protecting big business moguls following the example of many other republicans (survival of the richest doctrine)

One of the obvious problems is that McCain's plan will allow insurance companies to cross state lines, which means that they could move their home office into states that have weak consumer protection laws, which translates into fewer services provided with increasing premiums.

However, the insurance companies will increase their profits, which is in keeping with the survival of the richest doctrine.

Currently, 44 states have protection laws in place, forcing insurance companies to provide such things as emergency room care. Deregulation of these state laws will result in higher premiums for less medical care.

State protections that could be overridden by insurance companies who move their home office into states without consumer protection provisions include:

• Emergency Room Care (currently required by 44 states)
  
• Direct Access to OB/GYN (44 states)
  
• Diabetes (47 States)
  
• Colorectal Cancer Screening (23 States)
  
• Mental Health Parity (45 States)
  
• Post-Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction (33 States)
  
• Off-Label Prescription Drug Use (36 States)
  
• Chiropractors (46 states)
  
• Clinical Trials (20 States) [US Newswire, 10/11/2007]
  

In 2006, fewer than half of all small businesses offered health care coverage to their employees; and overall, the percentage of all employers who offer coverage to employees dropped more than 9 percent, from 69% in 2000 to 59.7% in 2006.

View report by KFF.org (pdf file)

McCain’s Plan Does Nothing to Control Escalating Health Care Costs – and Could Make Costs Increase According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, insurance premiums rose 78 percent between 2000 and 2006.

During that same time period, wages only rose 19 percent. But John McCain’s plan does nothing to stop the cost of health care from continuing to rise out of control.

[Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust, Employer Health Benefits 2007 Annual Survey]

Read the full report (pdf file)

Find out how your state ranks in providing health care for children. View the state rankings here. All states are visible.

Americans for Health Care Site

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