Looking at the Platform Part 1 Obama

Before you read the comments made directly on the candidates health care plan, I want you to know, I am a conservative fiscally. Therefore, many of my attitudes will side with McCain. Even though I am attempting to be unbiased, no one can be totaled unbiased. Secondly, I do know what I'm talking about when it comes to financial matters like the market and insurance.

There are few things, which I state that clearly and with that firm of a conviction. Most of the time, I joke, cajole, tease or use sarcasm. This is not any of the above. I have been a licensed health insurance representative since 1979 with reciprocal licenses in many other states besides my own. I taught insurance agents courses for our local CE credits, I was a sales manager and maintained client loyalty even after my retirement. I had to be better than the other reps because I was a woman in an almost exclusive boy's club. Along with that license I carry a financial planner license, a series 7 brokers license, a series 6, 63, 22, 65 etc. I only state this information to let you know, I do have the background to understand the issues.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get onto the issues. I'm using quotes from the websites of Barack Obama's website and John McCain's. In this case, Obama makes it easier with bullet points where I can respond after each one. McCain is a little longer winded so I condensed but you can check the sites.

Barack Obama on Health Care:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/#make_health_insurance_work

John McCain on Health Care: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5-5cf2edb527cf.htm

Everything within quotation marks is a quote from the Obama campaign site. Those parts not in quotes are my comments.

"MAKE HEALTH INSURANCE WORK FOR PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES - NOT JUST INSURANCE AND DRUG COMPANIES.

* Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions so all Americans regardless of their health status or history can get comprehensive benefits at fair and stable premiums."

Health insurance companies run on actuarial numbers. It means that they do predictions much like Vegas. They estimate the premiums based on the number of healthy individuals paying for the number of sick people. Preexisting conditions were set up so those that were healthy would get insurance while they could and therefore, pay the costs of the sick. What is the incentive to take out health insurance if you can get it at any time? Wouldn't this just be inviting insurance reps to set up their office in the emergency room? If any of you say that you'd take out insurance ahead of time just to be a good American, I'll call you a liar and would be correct in 95% of the cases.

"Create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees."

This is a good idea. In fact, it's the best of them all.

"Lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees."

I believe this is another way of stating the information above. If not, where's the money coming from?

"* Prevent insurers from overcharging doctors for their malpractice insurance and invest in proven strategies to reduce preventable medical errors."

Again, this sounds pretty, but insurers already have to answer to state regulators and they have to show sound accounting principles. Tort reform is the only answer. If insurance companies find they have high claims and lose money, they don't do business in that area. Would you go to work if they didn't pay you? In the 80's the cost of malpractice insurance went up like a rocket because of high court awards. The insurance companies charge according to what they make off surplus (If they're invested in the market or bad paper, expect your premiums to go up) and what they pay out or expect to pay out. It's that simple. Some areas have higher incidences of claims. Come to think of it, they also have more lawyers.

"* Make employer contributions more fair by requiring large employers that do not offer coverage or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of their employees health care."

Here comes my bias, spewing out in front of you. I am the daughter of a small business owner. Businesses no longer own our property but rent it from the government in the form of property taxes. The use of a good health care plan is a method to attract good people. There are very few large employers (Companies like GM, Kellogg's, or Disney. I'm afraid to name banks or investment companies until I see if they're still in business.) that don't have excellent benefits. Now the government wants to run the business, too. I find this upsetting.

"* Establish a National Health Insurance Exchange with a range of private insurance options as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress that will allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health coverage."

Wait until he sees his new premiums if anyone can buy when they have pre-existing conditions. Is this socialized medicine or did I miss something?

"* Ensure everyone who needs it will receive a tax credit for their premiums."

Again, there's nothing specific. If everything is based on need, I need a million dollars.

"REDUCE COSTS AND SAVE A TYPICAL AMERICAN FAMILY UP TO $2,500 AS REFORMS PHASE IN:

* Lower drug costs by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries, increasing the use of generic drugs in public programs and taking on drug companies that block cheaper generic medicines from the market"

Excellent idea. Two points for BO.

"* Require hospitals to collect and report health care cost and quality data"

Making the hospital turn in another report is surely going to cut their costs. Who's he kidding?

"* Reduce the costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees."

Okay, is B. O. personally going to do this by lending his helping hand? How is this going to happen? But gosh, doesn't it sound "purdy"?

"* Reform the insurance market to increase competition by taking on anticompetitive activity that drives up prices without improving quality of care."

Okay, I say I'm an expert but I have no idea what the hell he's talking about. The industry, as I know it from an insider's point of view, is highly competitive. I'm sorry. This is an outlandish statement and anyone in the industry will tell you it MEANS NOTHING!!! It is just a string of words that makes no sense.

Continue to Part 2 for McCain.