EMILY Wrong on McCain

EMILY's List, a left-wing group dedicated to "electing pro-choice Democratic women to office," has put up a voter's guide. It tries to sound like it's being fair and balanced, but, to no one's surprise, it's not.

A lack of balance doesn't bother me, but a lack of truthfulness does. Perhaps intentionally, perhaps not, they misrepresent Sen. McCain's health care proposals. Their sole statement of his plan is that he "would make employer-paid health premiums part of taxable income, creating a new tax on working families."

That's so almost true it could be mistaken for the truth.

The core of Sen. McCain's plan is to shift the tax benefits associated with healthcare from the employer to the employee. So, yes, his plan would make the employer-financed health insurance taxable; it would then give every taxpayer a tax credit for health insurance.

If your employer provides health insurance, that benefit would be taxed, but then you would get the tax credit. For most people with employer-financed health insurance, it would be a wash.

Those without employer health insurance would finally, after decades of exclusion, be able to get a tax break on their self-purchased insurance.

The end result would not be a tax increase but a tax decrease -- and access to health insurance -- for millions.

Today's WSJ has a nice explanation of how McCain's plan would work.