Senator McCain Takes a Look Through the Microscope

On the stump in Cleveland, Ohio, Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain appealed to health care voters on his "Call to Action" tour. Emphasizing the need to mitigate costs and increase access to health care, the presidential candidate laid out his comprehensive health care plan behind the pulpit of the Cleveland Clinic, the world-renown medical research center in the heart of economically-depressed America. In an attempt to better understand the presidential candidates' health care plans, the Cleveland Clinic extended an invitation to Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. However, since the Democratic Party has yet to determine its presidential nominee, Clinton and Obama will speak at the Cleveland Clinic later this year.

With a cut-away shot of a multicultural palette of white-vested doctors and "scrubbed-in" nurses, Senator McCain's campaign did a very good job of making McCain's health care plan look like it was backed by the medical community. Offering health care reform that returns the choices to the people, McCain outlined a proposal to grant a "$5,000 tax credit each year for families who pay for health care insurance out of their own pockets ($2,500 for individuals)." Unfortunately, as nonpartisan FactCheck.org points out, this tax-incentive-based policy could deter employers from offering comprehensive health care plans. The fear is that shifting the tax rebate from the employer to the employee would cause employers to reduce or eliminate their existing health care plans, which would greatly affect the estimated 61% of Americans who receive health care benefits through their employers.

Despite McCain's detrimental health care proposal, there is hope! Thanks to separation of powers and checks and balances Senator McCain's health care proposal may not get anywhere in Congress, or it may take him forever to get anything passed! However, with the example of President Bush's abusive eight year relationship with executive power, Senator McCain could issue an executive order mandating his health care plan. If the Democrats can maintain control of the Congress and achieve the vital 60 votes in the Senate, though, McCain (and health care) won't be going anywhere. Of course, this is all on the assumption that Senator McCain survives through November. Who knows, maybe the invisible hand of the electoral college will prevail once again.