momluvsfootball

It's finally here, the Sunday I waited two years to watch.  It was the one game that I had contemplated getting tickets and driving to Pittsburgh to see.  It's the game that I got all excited about when I saw the Colts on the Steelers schedule, and at Heinz Field, no less.  I talked about it in pre-season, I mentioned it during the regular season and at 2 am this morning I was talking about this game.  I could say that I was excited because I wanted to see how the Steelers running game would excel against a questionable rush defense, or how the Steelers corners would react to the offensive weapons of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.  I could say it's about matchups, but to be honest, this is the game of the year because...well, my husband is a Colts fan. 

So this morning, in the darkness, while we were watching the NFL Network and various shows talking about the Colts/Steelers matchup, my husband muttered "this is going to be ugly" and "I'm going to have to hear about it for the next two years".   Of course my response was filled with humility...not...instead of being sympathetic, I couldn't resist coming back with "yeah, with Marlin Jackson being out, Moore's going to run all over your butt".  Only a heavy sigh in response.  But was there an inaudible mumble about how he was waiting to see Ike Taylor eating Marvin Harrison's dust?  Okay, so it tends to be fun in our household. 

Alright, I'd really believe that the Steelers would have the ability to run the ball up and down the field against a run-suspect defense, if Bob Sanders were out.  Unfortunately for the Steelers, Sanders is playing so it's not going to be as easy as one might think.  In eight games the Colts have given up 1149 yards on the ground, however, Sanders  

Not only will the Steelers offense have to deal with Sanders, but there's the Freeney/Mathis factors.  Two defensive ends that have made their careers in their ability to get off the line quickly and get to the quarterback.  Given Ben's propensity for holding the ball too long and the questionable oline, the Steelers offense will have to hide that bullseye on the chest of whoever the Steelers deem to be their quarterback, whether it's Roethlisberger or Leftwich.

Steelers defense doesn't exactly have an easy job in front of them either.  Peyton Manning just has too many weapons in the form of Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez and Marvin Harrison, not to mention Dallas Clark, and still has the ability to be lethal in the air.  Add Rhodes and Addai and well, it could be a long day for the Steelers defense, but I see the number one defense in the NFL being disruptive against the high powered offense of the Colts.  An added plus is the return of Safety Ryan Clark to the Steelers defense.  The combination of Clark and Polamalu have helped disrupt, or at least keep in check offenses this season.

Pittsburgh is not a kind place for the Colts to play, whether they were in Baltimore or in Indianapolis.  Steelers lead the series 10-1 against the Colts for games played in Pittsburgh.  I don't see this game being kind to them either, especially since the Steelers are looking to maintain their lead in the AFC North, trying to keep the Ravens off their heels.  It also doesn't help the Colts that the Steelers are 5-0 against AFC teams this year either. 

I expect to see some great defense coming out for the Steelers (what can I say, I'm a Steelers homer).  The only question I'm going to really have...Bruce, what do you have plan to ensure that you actually do open up the ground game and keep Mathis and Freeney off of Ben?

Did you know that going into Monday nights game against the Redskins, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers were undefeated in Monday night games?  Actually under Tomlin, the Steelers were 3-0 on Monday night games, before last night. 

Were you aware, prior to going into Monday nights game that the Steelers hadn’t allowed a 100 yd game by a single rusher all season? 

Are you aware, that when things aren’t going well with the Steelers play calling or inability to get something going, I stand and scream at the tv? 

So this past Monday nights game those three things that I mentioned would remain intact.  Mike Tomlin would go on to be 4-0 on Monday nights, the Steelers defense would not allow the leagues top rusher to pass 100 yards and for the first half of the game, I couldn’t quit griping at the tv. 

The Steelers would go into last nights game with home field advantage…I mean, on the road, against the NFL’s fifth ranked defense, and once again would find themselves in a classic defensive battle.  Once again, it would be about defense and for the Steelers, the ability to show how deep they are.  And once again, leave us fans griping about the play calling. 

It would start early, the griping that is, with the onside kick that left us scratching our head.  What on earth was that?  I guess it would have been considered genius if the Steelers had been able to recover the ball, but, well, they didn’t.  And for much of the first quarter, it went more the way for the Redskins then in favor of the Steelers offense.  Between the favorable field position from the onside kick and a deflected pass which led to an interception on Roethlisberger, the Skins would be up by six.  It could have been worse, it could have been up by 14.  The Steelers defense would step up and keep both possessions to field goals. 

As the night wore on and just as we were getting frustrated with the three and outs, the Steelers wide receivers failing to catch balls, a pass interference penalty by the Redskins on Hines Ward and a Jeff Reed field goal would finally put the Steelers on the board.  Then momentum had changed on offense, in the form of a blocked punt by Andre Frazier.  This would eventually lead to Ben Roethlisberger getting a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak.  Unfortunately this play would lead to Ben injuring his shoulder again. 

Somehow this season, the Steelers would have to show how deep they could be.  When Willie Parker went down, Rashard Mendenhall started against the Ravens, only to be taken out that game.  Mewelde Moore came in and proved that the Steelers finally had the depth they needed at the running back position.  Kendall Simmons went out on the oline during the same Baltimore game and Darnell Stapleton came in and seemed to make the oline just a little bit better.  On defense, Bryant McFadden went down and then the next game, Ryan Clark went out.  Somehow the Steelers defense didn’t miss a beat. 

We held our breath coming into the second half and saw that Byron Leftwich would replace Ben Roethlisberger, and somehow, just somehow, he was able to do what Roethlisberger wasn’t able to do in the first half.  He took the lead and not only didn’t lose it, but took it down the field and setup Willie Parker for his first rushing touchdown since he went out early in the season.  The offense continued to go forward, even without the franchise quarterback. 

But this game wouldn’t be about the Steelers offense, it would be more about the Steelers defense.  Once again, this game would show why the Steelers defense is the number one defense in the league.  Steelers defense would be the first team to intercept Jason Campbell not once, but twice.  They would hold Clinton Portis to 51 yards rushing  and they would get to the Redskins quarterback for six sacks.  Despite the loss of McFadden, despite the loss of Clark.  It would be the linebackers that would continue to make a name for themselves.  James Farrior would be a beast with 12 tackles, Woodley would get to the back twice, Harrison once. It would be a backup safety, Tyrone Carter, that would register his first interception of the season. 

It would turn into a game of teamwork, of defense and of depth in position. 

It's Halloween, and no doubt, if you've perused the papers and online news sites, you've probably come across some quaint little stories about hauntings and other mischief that tends to occur around this time of year, I know, I have.  Often I will read these stories with a chuckle.  Not that I disbelieve them, just that, well...some seem a little far fetched...well maybe. Or perhaps I chuckle at them because I've had somethings occur that I've found hard to explain.  I know, you'll probably now put me in the category of being nuts (if you already hadn't), but on this Halloween day, I figured I'd come out and confess, if just to induce a chuckle should you choose to read this.

These "occurances" shall we say that have happened from time to time, are not just incidents in my past, but actually as recent as last night and early this morning.  Just a warning, you may wish to rethink a visit to our home anytime soon, because we do believe that there is some one there, other then us and the cats. 

How fitting that the day or night before Halloween, that I would notice some oddities.  As my husband and I were both in the kitchen yesterday evening, waiting for dinner to finish cooking, we happened to notice that the chandelier over the kitchen table was swinging back and forth, not just slightly either.  Looking at each other, I reached up to stop the swinging, and once I released it, it started again.  Only after several attempts did it finally "sit still".  Could it have been the kittens?  Perhaps, but they had stayed on the floor and were running back and forth between the kitchen and the livingroom.  We thought perhaps that one of them hitting the wall in a slide could do it, but they're still tiny little things.  Could it have been a slight earthquake or tremor?  Possible, but then why weren't my china, crystal and teapots clinking?  We shrugged our shoulders and went about what we were doing. 

It wasn't too long after that, that I was folding laundry and caught what I thought was my husband coming from the livingroom, into the kitchen.  Talking to him, I turned around and there was no one there.  I just had to find out if my husband had come into the kitchen.  He looked at me oddly and we just figured my stepfather had returned.  (Understand, my stepfather died about 5 years ago and we swear he hangs around our house to watch over my daughter).  Of course, it would explain why I found my daughters door room ajar, even though the door had been closed for a few days and no one had entered it (she's still at college).

This isn't something new with us.  Often my husband would hear footsteps going up and down the hall.  There have been times, when I fall asleep on the couch, that I would wake up still groggy from sleep, seeing him sitting in the computer chair, make my way back to the bathroom to find out he's actually in bed.  I come back out into the livingroom and the chair is empty.  There have also been times in the early morning when I'd hear the same footsteps and think he was waking up and even see a figure pass in front of the computer desk and when I look around, no one was there. 

This wasn't the first place I'd notice things.  When I came home from California, my daughter was 6 months old and we stayed with my parents for several months while I got myself back on my feet.  My mother had a dog, Muffy, who would sleep at the foot of the bed with me and watch over the crib.  Often times I'd wake up to find the dog just staring at the crib.  During the day, if we were downstairs, the dog would be sitting at the foot of the stairs just staring up the stairs.  There was no one else in the house during these times but myself and the baby.  One afternoon, I put the baby down for a nap and would just let her cry.  At the time, there were pictures hanging on a wall between the bedrooms.  That afternoon, one of the pictures fell off the floor and came bouncing down the stairs like it had been dropped.  Problem was, had the picture just fallen off the wall, it would have just landed on the floor, even if it did bounce abit, it was too far away from the steps.   Of course, I can't tell you how many times I'd wake up to find the rocker moving back and forth. 

Of course there were events earlier then this.  While I was stationed in Korea, I thought I had dreamt about waking up and finding my aunt sitting on the side of my bed, the only thing she said to me was "it's okay now".  I passed it off as a dream.  Of course I don't think I really woke up.  I figured I dreamt about her because I knew that her cancer had returned and basically we were playing a waiting game.  Later that day, while at work, we had gotten a call from my first sergeant, I should say the NCO in charge at the time had gotten a call from our first sergeant.  Turned out a red cross message came in, that morning advising of my aunts death. 

Even before that, at my first duty station, it was around Halloween and while on duty at the switchboard, we found out that some of the military police who were guarding a missile silo had discharged their weapons.  Okay, so it would be found out later that they had been passing a joint around too while on duty.  What was bizarre was why they said they discharged their weapons.  Apparently, while they were guarding the area, a statue of Christ had gotten off the cross that it sat on in the graveyard across the street and started walking towards them.  Blame it on the drugs maybe, however, curiosity got the best of me and we visited that graveyard.  I was fine until I stepped inside the gates and then as we walked closer to the crucifix, I began to get rather ill.  The power of persuasion, maybe, or was there something more to it?

I do love a good ghost story, even more so if it's true.  Even Stephen King and Dean Koontz can't produce the same effect of hairs standing up on the back of your neck or on your arms when you've got the sense that you're just not alone.

So tonight, as it gets dark and the clock gets close to midnight, will you wonder, if you catch a figure out of the corner of your eye, or have a cold chill go up your spine, are you really alone or is it just your mind playing tricks on you?

 

 

After having participated in the “game of the year”, where it seemed that the majority of eyes were following the outcome of the Giants/Steelers game, the Steelers will once again be center stage, along with the Washington Redskins, for this weeks Monday Night Football.

Like many Steelers fans, we’ve been following the health and distractions of the team, going into each game this season.  No doubt we’ve discussed the oline situation, the injuries, fines and, of course, the long snapper (well, at least I have).  Though I’m itching to sit and analyze the upcoming game, I have to step back and have some questions answered, or at least some insight to some things before I can do so in a perfectly unbiased way.  So here are some burning questions that I have going into this game on Monday night:

•  Will we see Willie Parker playing in this game?  Although Parker has been practicing this week, reports are that his status for game day is still questionable.  No doubt, Mewelde Moore has been more then a capable substitute during his absence, but the return of Parker gives the Steelers rushing offense a major one/two punch should both Parker and Moore play. 
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•  Will Clinton Portis reach the 1,000 yd mark in this game?  Portis only needs 56 yds to reach 1,000 yards for the season rushing.  Steelers defense has been extremely stingy with giving up yards on the ground, only allowing 501 yds in a total of seven games.  That’s a little over 71 yds per game.  Of course, this is a bit deceiving since the Steelers defense kept Brandon Jacobs to 36 yds last week.
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•  Will the Redskins defense come out in this game with a strong pass rush?  There’s no doubt that the Redskins have some type of a pass rush defense, having registered 16 sacks, however, is it as strong and stifling as the Eagles and Giants defense?  Maybe not.  However, if Pittsburgh’s oline takes the pass rush from the Skins for granted, it’s possible that Ben Roethlisberger could find himself on the ground a lot.  I doubt we’ll see that this game, however, the threat with the Skin’s defense is the corners and their abilities to zone in on the ball for interceptions. 
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• Given the injuries to the Steelers defense and having both Bryant McFadden out and then Ryan Clark go out last week with a dislocated shoulder, one might start wondering how strong the secondary is going to be.  Jason Campbell has yet to throw an interception.  Also questionable is Troy Polamalu.  Reason I say he’s questionable is one would have to wonder if he came back too soon from his concussion in last weeks game, given the uncharacteristically high number of tackles he seemed to have missed last week.  No doubt that he’ll play this week, will he be up to speed. 
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•  Given the number of distractions that the Steelers faced within the last week, week and a half, will there be others? 
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•  Speaking of distractions, do the Redskins really use sex to try to distract the opposing teams players?  I’ve heard rumors that they have the cheerleaders warming up and stretching in the opposing teams tunnel?  I guess the Redskins Rule is actually a pretty good rule though.  Okay, so the NFL put a stop to having cheerleaders provide a distraction pre-game and perhaps it’s good.  Think about it, which would be more detrimental to a team…watching the cheerleaders stretch or having the image of Steely McBeam burned into your mind as he stretched and warmed up in the opposing teams tunnel? 
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•  I’m sure that everyone knows by now that I believe Jim Zorn to be the best looking coach in the NFL.  Question is now, on Monday, will he go the way of Mike Nolan and Jack Del Rio and wear a suit for the game?  If so, I might need a towel, (other then the terrible towel of course), to wipe the drool from my chin.
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• One final burning question here.  Will SPIN columnist and CBS Sportsline writer Eric Kay actually join the ranks of the “hogettes” sometime in the near future?  I haven’t seen his legs, but suspect that he has a closet passion for the Redskins that would make him prime recruiting target for this ultimate of Redskins fans.  Actually, it’s pretty cool about the “hogettes” who seem to be the “shriners” of the Skins, making appearances at hospitals and charity events, along with attending the games.  Interestingly, two of the original “hogettes” are in the Pro Football HOF as the ultimate fans.

 

With Steelers longsnapper going out for the season with a torn ACL, the Steelers aren't looking to depend on James Harrison (or other Steeler starter) to perform the duties for the rest of the season.  According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Steelers have looked at four candidates to replace the injured long snapper. 

Also possible is the signing of a punter to fill in for an injured Mitch Berger if it's found that he's unable to play for the upcoming game against the Washington Redskins on Monday. 

Memo to Bruce Arians:  Play not to lose and you probably will.  When something is working, it’s usually a good idea to go with it until it stops working. 

Memo to Mike Tomlin:  Think it’s time to get the oline some more help?  Might want to look at emphasizing plays on special teams too, especially when it comes to the long snapper positon.

Memo to Dick LeBeau:  Keep doing what you’re doing.

Memo to Ben Roethlisberger:  What made you such a perfect fit for this team was that you weren’t a pure pocket passer, so why are you trying to be?

Memo to James Harrsion:  You may suck at long snapping, but you’re still one hell of a linebacker. 

Memo to my daughter:  Perhaps you may want to look into going into sports medicine, with the drop in my 401K, you may be needing to support me in my old age. 

Yesterdays Giants versus the Steelers game proved to be the defensive battle that Giants and Steelers fans expected it to be.  Did it live up to the hype?  Perhaps, depending on who you were rooting for.  Of course, if you were looking for a high scoring run away game, forget it, neither defense was going to allow it.  And, in the end, it was the defenses on both teams that would make the difference in this game.

Going into the game, there were three questions I had.  1)  How would the Giants oline do against a defense that ranked first in sacks?  2)  Would the Steelers defense be able to contain Brandon Jacobs?  3) How would the Steelers oline handle the pass rush of a Giants defense that ranked second in sacks? These questions were answered yesterday.  1) Great, 2) Most definitely, 3) Very poorly. 

No doubt after this game, there are questions on the Steelers offense.  At the beginning they came out looking strong and put themselves ahead.  However, the game and momentum would shift in the Giants favor, a lot due to the pressure the Giants defense was able to place on the oline and Ben Roethlisberger and would limit the Steelers to only 14 points for the entire game.  Of course it didn’t help that the play calling seemed to become rather conservative when it needed to be aggressive either. 

It wasn’t just the Steelers offense that struggled getting points.  Though the Giants did better in obtaining yards on the ground to get to the red zone, the Steelers defense for three quarters would limit the Giants offense to nine points in four trips to the red zone, all field goals.  Steelers defense made an impressive stand keeping Brandon Jacobs out of the end zone and ended up turning it over on downs.  In fact the Steelers defense against the rush, did spectacular in keep Jacobs under 40 yds rushing for the game. 

However, it is said that the team that wins that battle in turnovers will win the game.  Unfortunately for the Steelers, it would be the Giants that would win the turnover battle.  Roethlisberger would end up, at the end of the day, being credited with four interceptions.  So we can argue how good or bad those interceptions were, however, that is irrelevant.  Two of the interceptions placed the Giants with good field position and another took the Steelers out of the game.  It would be at the final quarter, when the Giants would have a field goal and come up with a safety that would tie the game, then a touchdown to put them ahead in the end.

Given the season, it is fitting that one would wonder though if a black cat had crossed the path of the Steelers.  Too many penalties straight in a row, that hurt their field position.  A pulled hamstring by the punter Mitch Berger, a torn ACL to the longsnapper Greg Warren, a hit by Ryan Clark on Brandon Jacobs (or vice versa) that left Clark with a dislocated shoulder.   Somehow it seemed just too surreal.  A bad snap that tied the game, and the inability to get anything going on offense at the end would leave Steelers fans muttering unreal, and grumbling again at the offensive coordinator.

Some have called this the game of the year, I’m not sure why, but if some in the media want to hype it that way, go for it, though I doubt if the teams will bite.  I’m looking at it as more of a game of eeriness, shall we say.  Perhaps that’s good though, given it’s a home game at Heinz Field so close to Halloween.  No black and orange here though, just black and gold … oh and the white, blue and red of that other team.  You know the team I’m talking about, the one that will have the bulls eye on their back all season long because everyone wants to beat last years Superbowl champions.

I’m calling it kind of spooky myself.  No, there won’t be any ghosts or goblins, after all, the game will be a day game, however, some events are just a little uncanny to be just, well, to have just happened.  Flashback to 2004 with me for a moment. 

Preseason draft, two young first round draft picks, quarterbacks of course.  One, the first one or the number 1, the other drafted at number 11.  Okay, even that may be a stretch at numerology.  The one would start off as the hope of the franchise, the other proved to be the pride of the franchise, that year. 

Still with me in 2004?  Good, because that was the last time the Steelers hosted the Superbowl champions in Heinz Field.  Guess what, it was on October 31st, 2004 when the Patriots were defeated at Heinz Field by the Steelers.  That Superbowl team was met with a stifling defense, a solid running game and a quarterback who didn’t throw away the game.  Later that year, they would also face the loser of the Superbowl.  Okay, this is as far as I want to take this coincidence, because we know what happened at the end of that year.

Oh yeah, one more thing, last time these two teams met, these two quarterbacks played each other, 2004.  Steelers won that game too.

Now fast forward to October 26, 2008.  Two quarterbacks from the same draft class will be meeting for the first time on the field since their draft year.  One will be the Superbowl champions, the other will be one of the recipient of the Superbowl ring from a few years before. 

One other canny thing here.  On October 26, 2008, the two teams that  are meeting are 5-1, have each registered their only loss to their opponents division rivals. 

Okay, so it’s easy to draw coincidences in this game and make parallel universes appear when there really isn’t any.  However, as I mentioned in the beginning, some are touting this the game of the year.  I can understand why. 

Sunday’s Steelers game against the New York Giants at Heinz Field could very well turn into the battle that the hype may allude it to be.  The hype, two first round draft choices of 2004, two quarterbacks who’ve grown into their own.  Each having their own Superbowl ring. 

Not hype.  Each team having a balanced offense, with a running back tandem that can burn defenses.  For the Giants, Brandon Jacobs could be compared to…well…Jerome Bettis.  A beast on the field that could run over defenders.  Add to that the presence of Derrick Ward.  Combined, both backs have accumulated a total of 853 yds in six games.  Add to that Eli Manning’s arm and the wide receiving talents of Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith and Amani Toomer and this offense has the potential to be lethal.  That’s why they’re 5 and 1 and sitting on top of their division and their conference.

However, the Steelers offense is no slouch either, especially since showing it’s depth with the loss of Willie Parker for several games and Rashard Mendenhall for the season.  In fact, Mewelde Moore was able to fill in quite nicely having accumulated 219 yds in his first two starts.  With the possibility of Parker returning to the game on Sunday, we could see a switch off of the two backs against the Giants 4-3 defense.  Add to that the passing attack of Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington (not to mention tight end Heath Miller) and the Steelers offense can be just as potent. 

Still not hype.  Giants 4-3 defense and the Steelers 3-4 defense.  Steelers defense have only allowed a total of 418 yds on the ground, Giants, 507.  Steelers lead in sacks 25 to 21 and have allowed fewer passing yards 952 to the Giants 1144. 

Here I’m liking the Steelers defense to match up well against the Giants offense.  However, this will be the first real test of the Pittsburgh oline since the Philadelphia Eagles game, especially with Justin Tuck and Fred Robbins on the Giants defense. 

What I’m also liking is that, with the exception of the Redskins, the Giants oline hasn’t really been truly tested this year in the protecting against the constant pressure of the blitz and a 3-4 defense.  When the Browns played the Giants, there were 3 interceptions and 1 sack, and the Giants loss that game. 

Given that this is at home, the Steelers coming in with the momentum, a defense that can force turnovers and leads the league in sacks.  I’m liking the Steelers chances, but it will be close and it will be defensive. 

So I'm going to take a break from my regularly scheduled football blog to bring you this political announcement, what glitters isn't always gold.  Okay, I stole the line from "All the Gold In California".  However, both the Republican and Democrat candidate have each laid out their plans for healthcare that's suppose to make us, the voters salivate at the thought of what we could have should we elect one or the other.  The problem is, they both fall seriously short of addressing the cause.  Okay, neither one of them are universal healthcare or even corporate sponsored healthcare, so let's not go with that argument.

What are my credentials in being able to determine this?  Well, one, I don't support either candidate, so I can write this a little objectively.  Another, for the majority of my career, after leaving the Air Force, I've been working with health care insurance in one way of the other for most of my after service career. 

When I left the service and after I had my daughter (hard to get a full-time job when you're pregnant), I ended up as a medical claims examiner for five different HMO's in California.  Our office had the contract to administer the claims for health maintenance organizations, which was just emerging at the time.  While we dealt with the physicians and paying them, we also dealt with the patients whose claims we denied.  The HMO's themselves were the ones who dealt with the companies and corporations and the various plans offered.  As claims examiners, we had to be aware of each plan and the coverage under each plan. 

When I returned to PA, I eventually got a position as an assistant to the director for a state grant funded center.  Although we were covered under the state employees health plan, each month I had to submit our monthly premium requisition to the person overseeing our finances and funding.  Next to our monthly rent, the centers cost of the health care premiums were the highest portion of our monthly costs.

I went back to college and took every computer programming/it class available and did the same with business classes and human resource classes.  Once I got out, I got a job with a, you got it, an HMO...a medicaid HMO specifically.  Boy do I miss the profit sharing checks.  When I moved south, I ended up on the other side, medical billing software, my expertise in claims examining and insurance payment programming was one of the reasons I was hired.  So I'd say I have about 14 years dealing with medical insurance in some fashion or another.  So there's my qualifications, take them for what you will.

Let's discuss the health care plans.

John McCain has several steps in his program.  He wants you to have the ability to go across state lines and be able to purchase health insurance on your own.  He'll give you a 5,000.00 tax break if you do this.  Of course, if you don't do this and have the gold plated cadillac plan paid for by your employer, then you'll be taxed.  Sounds logical on paper.  Competitive pricing brings down costs of premiums.  If you're getting more then the "normal" tax payer, then you should pay taxes on the unneeded or optional benefits.  Government would not be involved in the administration of the policies or premiums.

Barrack Obama would allow you to keep your current employer paid health insurance if you wish, or you could purchase into the same health insurance pool that the federal employees and members of congress gets (my guess, Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield).  Employers (can't determine if it's rich employers or large companies like Hewlitt Packard) would be fined for not providing some sort of health insurance for their companies (I'm guessing large companies since they're premiums would be smaller then small, rich companies due to the payer pool).  Of course, children would be required to be covered under some type of insurance.  Sounds good on paper too.  Those who don't have health insurance can buy into plans in a large insureds pool at a much lower cost, then if they were to attempt to get it on their own.  Large companies for the most part, already offer some sort of insurance benefits and have access to the reduced premiums per person due to insurance pools, so they're not actually at a risk of being fined. 

Yep, both on the face look like viable plans that begin to address the problems, however, they fall very short and really don't address the rising health care costs. 

Niether plan really will lessen the effect of rising health care insurance.  Niether plan addresses the working poor and middle class who don't actually have the extra money to buy into it.  Under McCain's plan, you have to have the out of pocket money first to buy into the health insurance before you get the $5,000.00 tax deduction.  Under Obama's plan, it will be mandatory to insure your children, what happens if you're making just enough to cover your monthly expenses?  Where does the extra money come from.  Niether guarantees an increase in salary for compensation of the shift or loss of benefits under your employer. 

If you've ever been on COBRA, you kind of get the idea of exactly the cost of your health insurance premiums between what you put in and what your company puts in.  COBRA is a program that affords employees the ability to continue their health insurance should they leave their employer.  For one year, you're able to buy into your companies plan for full cost of the premium.  My mother was on COBRA when she switched jobs, until her new employers benefits kicked in.  Her monthly payment for just herself was $365.00 a month.  The place she worked for had been part of a larger insureds pool.  It could be more for someone working with a small company. 

So what's wrong with John McCain's plan?  Quite a bit actually.  First off, the McCain campaign has already stated that the goal is to have all persons on private insurance so that businesses wouldn't have to carry it.  However, in the field of health insurance, competitive pricing doesn't work the way he thinks it will.  Look at the major insurance carriers, AETNA, CIGNA, US Healthcare, the Blues.  Their national but their pricings are based on the area of service.  In other words, a state that has a lower cost of living rate, is going to have lower premiums and lowered adjusted fee schedules for their physicians.  So what's the logical thing for a company whose sole purpose is to make a profit (and make no mistake, that's the insurance companies sole objective), raise prices to match the highest cost of living.  What about these smaller companies.  Well, there are thousands of health insurance companies out there, aren't there?  Well, about 1/4 of them are pre-pricers for larger insurance companies, like AETNA, CIGNA, etc.  Others are just another plan under the same insurance companies. 
So, what's to stop them from eliminating them to give you fewer options?  So the idea of competitive pricing may just turn around and bite us in the butt.

Okay, so they don't raise prices and they don't eliminate their smaller branches.  Now you have the question of state regulation.  The insurance companies set up offices in individual states because there are state regulations that govern how they operate, what they have to include.  Obama is at least correct when he talks about that.  Okay, so they are willing to conform the plan to the different state insurance laws, alot of insurances require you to see an in network provider to get the full benefit of the plans with lower out of pocket fees and copayments.  First off, physicans are not required to accept insurance.  In fact, alot of physicians will accept the major insurance carriers but the smaller ones, they'll ask you to pay up front and then you file the claim to your insurance company for reimbursement.  What's the chances of your physician agreeing to accept the in-network rates of an insurance in Arkansas, if you live in NYC?  My husband and I ran into the issue of fee schedule differences when it came to workers compensation. 

As far as taxes go, McCain says those that are only going to be taxed are the ones with the cadillac plans.  The one that offers cosmetic surgery and transplants.  There's a term that insurance companies use to get away with not paying claims "not a medical necessity".  If there's a plan out there that offers cosmetic surgery as an elective surgery, congress must be the only one that has it, and I suggest that we re-evaluate exactly what benefits our elected officials are receiving.  My insurance plan allows for breast reconstruction surgery, but I have to have had a masectomy done to get it.  I can have breast augmentation surgery to reduce the size of my breasts, but I have to have medical proof that the size of my breasts are effecting my health or keeping me in constant pain.  Same with plastic surgery, I can have it, if I've been burned or disfigured due to an automobile accident.  I dare anyone to go to their insurance company and ask them if they'll pay for a nose job.   However, because I have these options in my insurance, I'll be taxed on this, or even be left without it, since the idea is get everyone on private insurance.

As far as Obama's plan.  Well for the most part, it actually is a better plan since it does allow for large insureds pool that will drop individual premiums.  It doesn't require you or your employer to drop your insurance.  It doesn't even require your employer to pay full cost of your insurance.  It does however set up a need for the government to administer these pools, or at least contract out someone to administer it for the government.  It also leads to questions as to whether premiums would be supplemented with taxes or would it be like the COBRA program where the insured pays the full cost of the premiums.  Will this enlarge the office of health and human services or will this create another government office.  This is the biggest drawback of his plan.  With the larger pools, who would the insured contact as their benefits administrator for issues between them and the insurance companies.

Though both plans offer alternative options, neither would stop the rising cost of health insurance and health care prices.  One plan may hurt the individual insured more while the other would put more of the burden on the taxpayer.  Like I said, they both fall short.