John McCain Post #16

In the September Issue of Nursing Spectrum magazine I found an article on the candidate’s healthcare plans.

McCain vs. Obama:
Who Has the Better Health Plan?
By: Cathryn Domrose

McCain’s Vision: page 27/28 – left column
His plan features tax credits for individuals and families to buy health insurance, with any unused credits going into a health savings account.
McCain favors giving people money to buy their own plans and relying on the market to drive down costs rather than relying on insurance plans sponsored by employers.
Tax Credits - $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families – that would be paid directly to an insurer chosen by each recipient, including employer-sponsored insurers.
Will work with state governors to create guaranteed access plans, similar to the high-risk pools some states now have, to cover those with pre-existing conditions at affordable rates.
Believes competition among insurance companies will increase and prices will come down.
Plans to end tax breaks to employers who offer insurance, increasing the likelihood that some companies would stop offering insurance to their workers.

Need for Nurses: McCain – top left column of page 27
Encourage more public and private sector scholarship programs and loan repayment incentives.
Ensuring the workforce is diverse and equipped to provide culturally competent care.
Ensuring appropriate funding for programs such as the National Health Service Corps and HRSA Health Professions Programs to increase participation in areas of critical shortage, especially in rural areas.

John McCain and Barack Obama Similarities: page 28 – bottom of page
Both promise to bring health costs down and help pay for their plans by promoting increased competition among drug and health insurance companies.
Both support mental health parity and the need to make healthcare costs transparent.