OMG...OMFG...JC...OMFG

I know it has become cliche but John McCain scares the shit out of me.

Health care in this country is sucks. We are the most wealthy country in the world and yet we rank in the twenties in health care and we are behind third world countries for infant mortality. Why? I believe this is because we are part of the "me first" society. I have had several conversations with conservatives and they all believe that health care is a personal responsibility. Unfortunately, that responsibility has become one of the most expensive household expenses for Americans. Over 16% of American income is spent toward health care. I simply cannot agree with this tenant. I believe that health and health care should be a right and not a privilege. Health is life and all Americans are granted life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

In addition to the financial meltdown, McCain (who's advisers led the legislation to deregulate banks) is now saying that deregulation has helped grow our economy (?) and he believes that the health insurance industry should be deregulated as well.

"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." as quoted in Contingencies Magazine.

So our health care system is already a CLUSTER and now McCain would like to deregulate that too?

The other issue about McCain's health care that has me queasy is the fact that he would like to make our employee provided health insurance benefit part of our taxable income. From that new taxed income, he will give everyone a check for $2500 to purchase health insurance in the free market. Health insurance doesn't work in the free market. It is a service that requires a large number of healthy people funding a pool for a smaller portion of unhealthy people. What would happen is that those people who NEED health insurance, i.e. the very old, the very young, and the very sick, would be the only people funding the pool. The healthiest Americans, traditionally 18 to 35 year olds often see themselves as indestructible and would take that money and use it for things other than health insurance. They are also the group to be the least likely insured. Thus creating an adverse pool of money because more would come out of the pool than was going in. That is why large employee based health insurance plans work and small companies struggle. One bad pregnancy or one person with cancer would cripple a small business's health insurance policy. If McCain is elected, I can only imagine how we would have to bailout the looming health care crisis. I think the deregulation experiment is over and shouldn't be repeated in industries that require oversight.