by James Parks, Apr 4, 2008

During Sen. John McCain’s cross-country bio tour to show the nation the forces that have shaped him, one of his values is becoming clear: He doesn’t want to hear what real working Americans have to say.

During an appearance in Jacksonville, Fla., this week, the likely Republican presidential nominee turned down an invitation to talk with workers about their health care concerns so he could have a fancy lunch with his wealthy contributors to the tune of $2,300 a person. Also this week, he skipped a workers’ roundtable in Annapolis, Md.

Although $2,300 is a lot of money for lunch, it’s not much compared with the $11,200 a family would pay for a high-deductible health plan such as one McCain favors—and that figure is in addition to premiums. For an employer-sponsored health plan, that $2,300 would cover a family’s contribution for eight months. That $2,300 would have helped Vicki in Oregon who lost her home because of her health care bills. 

About three years ago, my husband’s boss decided to stop covering the cost of health insurance for the families of employees, even though the place he works at brings in nearly $2 million a month in revenue. Our premiums skyrocketed from about $200 a month to $815 a month! As a result of this, we were unable to pay our rent within seven days of the due date and got evicted on 72 hours notice in the middle of winter with ice on the ground and a three-year-old who had a 103.6 fever! We all deserve better than this in the greatest country on the face of the earth!

Vicki is one of the more than 26,000 people who completed the AFL-CIO/Working America 2008 Health Care for America Survey. Nearly 7,500 respondents told us about their personal health care experiences. The survey shows:

• Some two-thirds (61 percent) who have employer-provided coverage say their costs have gotten worse and 95 percent say America’s health care system needs fundamental change or to be completely rebuilt.
• One-third of respondents to the online survey, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America, report skipping medical care because of cost, and a quarter had serious problems paying for the care they needed.
• Ninety-five percent say they are somewhat or very concerned about being able to afford health insurance in the coming years.
• Almost half overall (48 percent) and 60 percent of Latinos say they or a family member has stayed in a job to keep health care benefits when they would have preferred changing jobs.
• Ninety-five percent of respondents say America’s health care system needs fundamental change or to be completely rebuilt.
• Seventy-nine percent say health care is a very important voting issue, and 97 percent say they plan to vote in the November elections.

But John McCain’s health care plan doesn’t address these workers’ concerns. The AFL-CIO’s McCain Revealed site offers the real straight talk on McCain’s health care plan, which would: 

• Tax your health care benefits.
• Lead employers to eliminate benefits.
• Leave working families at the mercy of big insurance companies.
• Fail to cut costs or cover more people.

For a more detailed look at McCain’s proposal, click here.The two Democratic candidates contending for the presidential nomination, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.), have released comprehensive health plans aimed at providing health care coverage. 

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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