The Political Voices of Women

Did You Know John McCain’s Health Care Plan Does Not Include Preexisting Conditions? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at BlogHer)

Would you be covered under John McCain’s health care plan? I wouldn’t.Regardless of who wins the Democratic nomination, that person will be running against John McCain. Not too long ago, I posted about McCain’s position on a woman’s right to choose. Basically, his position is to do everything possible to stop a woman from having reproductive choices. And when it comes to McCain’s healthcare plan, anyone with a preexisting medical condition should be very concerned.

I was watching ABC’s Sunday program, This Week with George Stephanopoulos — John McCain was being interviewed, first on the economy, then on his healthcare plan, and then on Barack Obama’s patriotism. I already wrote about what I thought of John McCain’s plan for the economy. So, I thought I would take some time to address his plan (or lack of) for healthcare.


Unlike the Clinton and Obama plans, McCain doesn’t seem to think it’s important to insure everyone have quality and affordable healthcare. It actually seems like his plan is to see how happy he can make the health insurance industry.




This is from The Democratic Daily…

Elizabeth Edwards touted Hillary Clinton’s health care plan over Barack Obama’s today saying that the “mandated coverage” in Clinton’s plan “made it the only truly “universal” health plan.”

Edwards said:

“It means every American has to be covered. Senator Obama means every child has to be covered. I think we need to go the full nine yards.”

Elizabeth Edwards also criticized John McCain health care plan, saying, “He’s the beneficiary of some great government programs. But in terms of private insurance, he would not be guaranteed coverage under his own plan. Neither would I or anybody with a pre-existing condition.”

This is from Kentucky Women: Power, Passion and Politics…

Elizabeth Edwards has taken Republican presidential candidate John McCain to task and rightfully so. Hopefully, the Democratic presidential candidate has a plan to make this a huge campaign issue. Edwards also points out that she prefers Democrat Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Plan.

Let’s hope Hillary aims and fires at McCain for this shameful stand he has taken on the health and wellness of Americans.

You can read the entire article appearing in The New York Times HERE

From Tracy Russo at The Field…

Let me tell you, there is not much about the health care politics that Elizabeth Edwards does not understand. And today, the McCain campaign is learning that the hard way. In a detailed response to their arrogant spokesman, Elizabeth writes:

I freely admit that I am confused about the role of overnight funding in repurchase markets in the collapse of Bear Stearns. What I am not confused about is John McCain’s health care proposal. Apparently Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a senior policy advisor to McCain, thinks I do “not understand the comprehensive nature of the senator’s proposal.” The problem, Douglas, is that, despite fuzzy language and feel-good lines in the Senator’s proposal, I do understand exactly how devastating it will be to people who have the health conditions with which the Senator and I are confronted (melanoma for him, breast cancer for me) but do not have the financial resources we have. In very unconfusing language: they are left outside the clinic doors.

She then goes on to pose a number of questions to the “straight-talking” maverick, regarding his plan:

1. Under your plan, Senator McCain, would any health insurer be required to sell you or me (or those like us with pre-existing conditions) a health insurance policy?

2. You say your plan is going to increase competition to the point that it actually lowers costs. Isn’t there competition today among insurance companies? Haven’t costs continued to go up despite that competition?

3. You say that under your plan everyone is going to pay less for health insurance. Nice words, I admit, but they are words we have heard before. You must know when American families calculate the actual cost of health care, they have to include those deductibles and co-pays and not just the cost of the insurance. Are you talking about cheaper overall or just a cheap policy that doesn’t kick in until after thousands of dollars of deductibles have been paid?

4. Isn’t the type of competition you are talking about really a rush to the bottom? As long as you allow insurers to underwrite and deny access, you encourage insurers to offer plans that may be cheap, but that get that way by avoiding people with cancer or other high-cost diseases or by limiting benefits and treatments, particularly if the treatment is expensive or might be needed for a long time. We all live in the real world; those of us lucky enough to have health insurance have seen how insurers cut coverage and up co-pays or deny particular treatments. The insurance company makes money when it doesn’t have to pay for our health care. (I suspect that if they could, they would write obstetrical-only policies for nuns.) Doesn’t your plan really encourage insurers plans to compete to avoid people with cancer or other high-cost diseases? Don’t you think that the kind of competition that starts with a decent level of required coverage, that doesn’t exclude the care we actually need, would be better?

Do you have any preexisting medical conditions? Do you worry a healthcare plan by John McCain may leave you out?

Also See:

Does McCain’s Health Care Plan Measure Up?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan CatherineBlogs, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog