Washington - Employer Insurance Lost

353,433 Washington Residents Would Lose Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Under McCain Health Plan

Two new reports from the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Economic Policy Institute found that 353,433 Washington residents, 9.3% of people with employer-sponsored coverage, would lose their job-related health benefits under the McCain health care plan.

Why?

Because Senator McCain’s plan would tax employees on the value of their employer-provided health insurance, leading many companies to stop offering health benefits altogether. For example, if you make $45,000 a year and your employer pays $12,000 a year for your family’s health insurance coverage, you would have to pay taxes on an annual income of $57,000. (Learn more about why Senator McCain’s plan would have such a devastating effect on hard-working families across the country.)

With that one change, Senator McCain’s plan would:

• Threaten the coverage of 3,789,415 people in Washington who receive health benefits through work.
• Put at special risk coverage for people under 65 in Washington struggling with diseases like cancer and diabetes who are now covered through their jobs, and who would not be able to buy insurance in the individual market because of their pre-existing condition.
• Raise taxes on the people of Washington who get health insurance benefits through their job.