Issues
Health Care
Obama opposes "government run" health care and would fight for lower costs
According to an ad released by Obama's campaign, Obama opposes "government run" health care. He would also require coverage for preventive care and for those with preexisting conditions and fight the insurance companies to lower costs. [Obama health care ad, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnk8minM3Qg]
Obama's plan would cover 30 million more uninsured than McCain's plan
According to the Washington Post, Obama's plan would "cover more than 34 million of the roughly 47 million Americans currently without insurance, while McCain's would cover at best 5 million uninsured." [Washington Post, 9/16/08]
Obama's mother died of cancer at 53; spent the last few months of her life fighting her insurance company to pay for cancer treatments
Barack Obama's mother died at 53 of cancer. According to the New York Times, she spent the last few months of her life fighting with her insurance company to have her cancer treatments covered. Her insurance company argued that her cancer was a preexisting condition so that they wouldn't have to pay for her treatment. [New York Times, 3/14/08]
Obama's plan costs less than McCain's
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Obama's health care plan concluded Obama's plan would cost $86 billion, compared to the $186 billion plan from McCain. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 10/3/08]
McCain wants to deregulate health care as he did "over the last decade in banking"
In the September/October 2008 issue of "Contingencies," John McCain wrote:
Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.
If you like what deregulation did to our economy and retirement savings, you'll love what John McCain wants to do to our health care. [NYTimes.com, 9/19/08; Contingencies, September/October 2008]
McCain would tax employer-funded health insurance
According to the Washington Post, under John McCain's health care plan, he would tax employer-funded health insurance like income. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, the average employer-funded insurance policy costs $12,100. [Washington Post, 9/16/08; National Coalition on Health Care website, accessed 10/9/08]
McCain opposed SCHIP expansion that would have covered millions of uninsured children
In 2007, McCain sided with President Bush, opposing the reauthorization of SCHIP at $60.2 billion for five years, expanding the program by $35.2 billion and providing health insurance for 9 million currently uninsured children. The measure would have been paid for by a 61-cent increase on tobacco products. According to the Washington Post, the White House argued that the tobacco tax would not be enough to fully fund the bill and claimed that the bill would push "millions" of children with private insurance into publicly funded health care. [HR 976, Vote #307, 8/2/07; Washington Post Vote Analysis]
McCain skipped two other votes on SCHIP expansion. [HR 976, Vote #353, 9/27/07; HR 3963, Vote #403, 11/1/07]
Voted To Cut Medicaid By $14 Billion In 2005
In 2005, McCain voted against an amendment to the Senate budget resolution which eliminated a $14 billion cut in Medicaid. The amendment also created a Medicaid Commission to find new solutions to the health care crisis. [SA 204 to S Con Res 18, Vote #58, 3/17/05]
Voted To Cut Medicaid By $11 Billion In 2004
In 2004, McCain voted against the Baucus amendment to the Senate budget resolution. The amendment stripped a requirement to cut $11 billion in Medicaid spending as part of the FY05 budget process. [SA 2751 to S Con Res 95, Vote #39, 3/10/04]