Can You Afford McCain's Health Plan?

How much money can you afford to insure your family's health? The McCain health plan will cost you more unless you live in Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota or Tennessee. The national average of increased costs is $1,100. That is if you are healthy.

The health plan that McCain has proposed for the American people would replace employer-based health insurance for private insurance. That may sound okay to start with unless you're one of those with a chronic disease. Employers don't charge different premiums based on their age, gender, health status, or health history. Most employer plans offer a choice of plans. Individual insurers play by a different rule system. They can exclude those with pre-existing conditions outright or charge such high fees that the average family can't afford to be insured. When you consider that 56 million non-elderly adults with employer-sponsored insurance has a chronic disease McCain's health plan could raise the number of Americans who face financial disaster because of medical bills. Who are at risk under McCain's plan? * 21.2 million with hypertension

* 18.5 million with arthritis

* 7.8 million with asthma

* 6.3 million with diabetes

* 5.5 million with cancer

* 4.5 million who experience disruptive anxiety or depression

If employer-sponsored insurance is taken away those Americans may not be able to get new coverage. Research shows that over 70 percent of Americans in poor health found it very difficult or completely impossible to find affordable health insurance.

State by state the proposed plan will rack up higher costs to the American tax payer. That is the ones that will be able to be insured. There will be 56 million hoping that they don't get sick again because they are no longer able to find coverage. That's 21 million who will have unchecked high blood pressure. 18 million who hold back tears as their joints ache. 7 million who struggle to breath. 6 million who will wonder how to get insulin. 5 million who should be getting cancer treatments. 4.5 million who sit at home to depressed to function. McCain has proposed tax credits for high-risk people but that still will not eliminate the problem. Should those who need health insurance the most be put in this risk group?