Obama Ad: McCain Will Tax Your Health Care

Discussions about health care policy provided some of the strongest voter reactions for Barack Obama during last night's presidential debate. And on the morning after, his campaign has responded by releasing a new ad on that very subject.

Titled "Taketh," the spot uses footage of Obama during the debate itself asserting that John McCain wants to tax health care rather than fix it.

"He says that he's going to give you a 5,000 dollar tax credit," Obama says. "What he doesn't tell you is that he's going to tax your employer based health care benefits, for the first time ever...so what one hand giveth, the other hand taketh away."

McCain's plan would, indeed, tax employer-provided health care benefits. It would fill in that void by issuing a $2,500 individual tax credit for individuals and $5,000 for families. The average cost per family for health insurance is $12,000. As Time's Joe Klein explained back in September.

"[M]ake no mistake: this plan will do little or nothing for those who do not have insurance now--unless they are young and healthy--and it may well hurt a fair number of workers, especially unionized workers, who get gold-plated benefits from their employers."

The ad, according to the campaign, will air across the country on national cable beginning today.

Comments

[earwooda]

05:29 PM on 10/15/2008

I don't think any of the ads are very clear. In fact, they're misleading. This blog, however, does a good job outlining both candidate's health plans: http://www.therelevantelephant.com/blog/entry/the_audacity_of_negative_campaign_ads_health_care

[HalR]

02:40 PM on 10/08/2008

McBush knows how to fix everything (soc.sec.) (Taliban/Benladen),healthcare. It just that it is a secret like how he is going to make us victorious in Iraq.&Afgah. Just like with the Bush Admin. everything is a secret and no one is responsible for anything. Way past time for Obama/Biden no more repug's.

[yoyobrit83]

01:31 PM on 10/08/2008

I wanted Obama to make reference to McCain's 1.3 Trillion dollar Medicare cut.

They should use that in an ad.

Anyway, Obama is correct about healthcare being a RIGHT.

[RTIII]

01:16 PM on 10/08/2008

Not bad. Better than some of his ads. The piano background works for me...
.

[observer007]

11:40 AM on 10/08/2008

This guy is bizzaro robin hood - steal from the poor, give to prince john. It makes me feel dated to be thinking about Bob Dylan's 'Times they are a changin' - but these days it sounds like a prophecy.

[Kalel]

11:21 AM on 10/08/2008

The whole $5,000 tax credit is ludicrous anyway. If you are making 40k and get the credit that means you're now bringing home around 43,500 after it gets taxed. During these times of high gas prices, people trying to stay in homes and putting food on the table it's insane to believe someone will actually spend that money on health care. Middle class and poor Americans live in the "NOW." McCain has to come to understand that if he's going to turn things around.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

10:59 AM on 10/08/2008

Related, sort of:

Didn't you just love how McCain said it would be "simple" to fix Social Security?

Riiiiiggghhhtttt.

[Df7702]

12:19 PM on 10/08/2008

yeah my jaw dropped . He said its not that hard . WTF??

[Diogenis]

12:22 PM on 10/08/2008

Yep, it is Social Insecurity!

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

10:57 AM on 10/08/2008

Furthermore, an additional $12k in "income" (cough) will put some families into a higher tax bracket, and even after mods to the AMT, may trigger AMT impacts for families on the cusp.

And if you live in a state with income tax (as most are), or NYC (with another 11% tax, give or take), your state and locality will ALSO see more taxable income unless those STATES make a countering adjustment, either via credit or deduction, etc.

[Ajegunle]

10:57 AM on 10/08/2008

SWEEET.

[Vere15]

10:24 AM on 10/08/2008

Thanks Sam for this video and Joe Klein's additional insight.

The campaign is getting to be the master of the 30 second spots...of course the antagonist and protaganist are doing well at providing the necessary sound chunks that byte down nicely

[MaudRuthyn]

10:24 AM on 10/08/2008

Here is some further reading about McCain's disastrous healthcare policy plans:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/us/politics/07health.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122315505846605217.html - Seniors Beware!

[Blah Blah Blah]

10:11 AM on 10/08/2008

8:55 CT: "With the plan I have that will do that." Thanks, what is your plan Mr. McCain?

The Second Presidential Debate: Live Analysis
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=93&ArticleName=The+Second+Debate%3a+Live+Analysis

Oct 7 Polling Update.
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=92&ArticleName=Poll+Update

Checkout my piece on Youth Voter Registration. For every 100 registered voters aged 18-24, the democrats accrue a 9 vote advantage.
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=85&ArticleName=Youth+Vote%3a+The+Power+of+Registration

Obama 349, McCain 189
http://voteforamerica.net/electoral.aspx

[fdavidm]

10:03 AM on 10/08/2008

I guess the Obama camp would actually explain the McCain health plan further. It's actually much worse that Obama is even hinting at. When the value of an employer-provided health care plan is taxed as ordinary income, it can add as much as $15,000 to a family's income level thus possibly raising the tax bracket in which a family is taxed. A family can potentially go from being in the 25% tax bracket to finding themselves under McCain's plan in the 32% tax bracket. That's a huge tax increase. McCain the maverick tax cutting is nothing more than a charlatan.

[Meggie]

10:19 AM on 10/08/2008

Well, for those of us already having to purchase our own insurance, it is with after-tax dollars. McCain is only leveling the field.
I have no problem with poorer republicans choosing McCain, but I refuse to have to listen to them whine about their lack of care after they do it.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

10:59 AM on 10/08/2008

Good point re self-insured paying with after-tax dollars.

Question: Don't you get a tax deduction if over x% of AGI?

[OlderBudWeiser]

11:22 AM on 10/08/2008

Easy there Meggie. I'm 68 years old and NOT voting for McTax. Bush/McTax has already taken a chain saw to medicare. A lot of seniors are in a doughnut hole created by Rethugs when Blue Cross PPO took over Medicare. (in Ca.) Please don't think that all seniors are not paying attention.

[BeltwayBette]

09:55 AM on 10/08/2008

Florida Senator Debbie Wasserman Schultz has twice said on the Keith Olbermann show that the second part of how McCannn plans to finance his health car plan is this:

She says he has said he will cut Medicare funding by $1.3Trillion and use that to help fund his health care plan.

Is there anyone who knows more about this? The when, where of his announcement? The How of it?

If this is true, it certainly needs to be more loudly shared. with us.

FYI: Bush privatized our Medicare in early 2000s with no public discussion or in put from the American voter. The company he handed all our Medicare dollars over to is Trailblazer. In Texas, doctors started refusing seniors who only had Medicare because Trailblazer was so slow paying them. Check it out. I had to dig really deep to learn this. I double checked it out with an Alabama attorney I knew. The turnover of our money to Trailblazer started in that area and then expanded to the rest of America. Surprise!!!!

[Kynn]

09:58 AM on 10/08/2008

McCain's chief economic adviser, who's name I forget, said it this weekend in an interview.

[Diogenis]

12:23 PM on 10/08/2008

He forgot his name also.

[matermatris]

10:14 AM on 10/08/2008

McSame eluded to it in last night's debate: "I think it's very important that reform our entitlement programs. My friends, we are not going to be able to provide the same benefit for present-day workers that we are going -- that present-day retirees have today."

[Meggie]

10:23 AM on 10/08/2008

Always scares me when a republican starts saying he's going to "reform entitlement programs" without saying anything else about it.
If he is elected, I hope he goes right after the seniors who voted for him first. They are the demographic that seems to be supporting him, and they are the ones who should have to live with their choice. No whining!

[Whinger]

09:51 AM on 10/08/2008

Yeah! With McCain there's always a catch, the carrot and the stick!