WASHINGTON,DC—A new report, John McCain’s Radical Health Care Agenda, describes the consequences of McCain’s health care plan for Pennsylvania. Millions of Pennsylvanians could lose the coverage they get from their jobs, forcing them to shop for health coverage in a deregulated insurance market stripped of consumer protections. Many Pennsylvanians with health problems, such as cancer or diabetes, would find it particularly difficult or even impossible to find adequate coverage. Millions of Pennsylvania families, and more and more Pennsylvania families over time, would pay higher taxes on health premiums.
A new fact sheet, The McCain-Palin Plan for Pennsylvania by the Numbers, provides a by-the-numbers examination of what their agenda will mean for the citizens of Pennsylvania:
- 7 million people in Pennsylvania have employer-based health insurance and are at risk of losing it under John McCain’s plan. [Source: CAPAF]
- 2.5 million people in Pennsylvania with pre-existing conditions, currently covered by their employer, would find it particularly expensive or even impossible to get coverage under John McCain’s plan. [Source: CAPAF]
- A Pennsylvania couple making $60,000 a year will see their taxes go up by $1,900 by 2013 under John McCain’s health plan. [Source: CAPAF]
- The average Pennsylvania worker has seen their real wages increase only $287 since 2000 under the economic policies of George W. Bush — policies that McCain would continue. From 1992 to 1999 real median family income rose $8,100 in the Northeast and $12,000 in the Midwest[i][Source: Census 1,2]
- Pennsylvania taxpayers will spend $1.5 billion on subsidies for big oil and gas companies under John McCain over the next five years. [Source: CAPAF]
- Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying approximately $390 million a month for the war in Iraq. [CAPAF analysis of CACN]
- Since 2003, Pennsylvania taxpayers have paid $26 billion for the Iraq war. [CAPAF analysis of CACN]
[i] Analogous Pennsylvania-only data unavailable
Both the report and the fact sheet are available in full at http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/wonk-room-state-stats/