I have a serious question, and I'm curious why it hasn't been asked...

[jsbowden]

McCain's health care plan is a 5k tax credit.

My question is this:

How does this help families who are so poor they already don't pay taxes?

Seriously. Why hasn't one single reporter asked him or Palin this question? A five thousand dollar tax credit isn't going to give them the money to buy health insurance. We're talking about people who just worry about making rent and eating. And are the folks most likely to end up sick.

If someone has, and I missed it, what was the answer?

The rich stay healthy and the sick stay poor...
U2

Comments

[thette.livejournal.com]

That's not the experience I have from the NICU.

[cerebresque.livejournal.com]

Yeah? What do your rules look like, then - I have not seen specific information for Sweden?

[thette.livejournal.com]

I've seen babies weighing 400 grams get the full NICU treatment, and I've seen it be successful. By 24 weeks, premature babies all get the full treatment at regional centers. Between 22 and 24 weeks, it varies between hospitals and the parents have much to say about the level of treatment. Before 22 weeks is considered non-viable. Survival rates are "known cases" at 22 weeks, 42 percent of live births at 23 weeks, 62 percent at 24 weeks and 75 percent at 25 weeks.

"Stillborn" is defined in clinical praxis at "not having responded to 20 minutes of resuscitation". (And while I haven't been there for resuscitation of extreme prematures, I've seen the training nurses in just the regular, non-specialist labour wards get, and it's good training. I've also seen resuscitation of full term infants.) In the new law since July 2008, stillborns are legally defined according to the WHO definition (500 grams, 22 weeks or 25 cm). Before that, the law said 28 weeks and not breathing at birth, which meant that all premies who took a breath were registered. (It was a bad and fuzzy law, though, and obstetricians have complained since 1994.)