Author Archives: ytashkent

http://www.welfaregame.com/

I tried to look through older posts to see if this was already put up, but I guess not.

I know this is a spoof, but it brings together what we talk about in class. I love the horoscopes. =]

I never actually read the magazines that come to my house,  but once I saw the cover of Newsweek magazine and Sarah Palin with the caption “She’s one of the Folks” (And that’s the problem) I was tempted to read, but don’t worry, I’m going to enlighten you guys about another major issue in the Presidential Election. (I got some points from “Vetting McCain’s Health Plan” in an issue of Newsweek, for this blog).

So, I was having this discussion with my boss who is about 75 years old and still working fulltime as a lawyer about his health care and how it was going to change once our new President is elected. We both agreed on how health care will never be the same once our new President is elected into office, since both candidates have different views on improving the health care system. Both proposals from the candidates have their positives and negatives.

OBAMA is pushing for more beneficial medical services than before and for FREE. Basically, with these free medical benefits available to almost everyone, these services will become much more impersonal. We are definately not going to see our regular doctor, nor would we have a choice in the type of health care we seek, The positive aspect of this proposal is that we wouldnt have to pay for these services, including surgeries because the government would pay for it. Even though you may think that the government paying for our surgeries is a positive, it is truly not, because having the surgery will no longer become an option for us. Some administrator sitting in the government’s office, will be deciding on if we really need the surgery or not. NO LONGER A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND THE DOCTOR. Just a relationship between the government’s office and the doctor.

McCAIN is not really going to reform medical care as much depending on your age. His plan is simple, he would tax the value of employer-paid health insurance as part of your income and in return, he would give everyone a refundable tax credit- $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for family coverage. His plan would eventually fall out in a couple of years because of health care inflation, where the overall value of these tax credits will die out. What sucks is that if you are uninsured, you would have to be able to afford the premiums up front and then you would receive the tax credit later on, so the tax credit would let you be able to purchase coverage for the following year. Now I would consider this a good deal if you are in your 20s, 30s, 40s and maybe 50s, but once you hit your 60s and have a modest income, it may be a problem with your rising health concerns. HOWEVERRRRRR, once you hit 65, doesnt Medicare kick in? So McCain’s plan doesnt seem too bad.

Who’s health care proposal would you guys prefer?

If you’re wondering what my boss preferred, he said neither, and told me he was going to take a long vacation of about 4 years, until we find a new presidential candidate with a better health care plan. 😛

Guess I need to find a new job =]