Election Issues: Health Care

Senator McCain would stop giving tax breaks to companies for subsidizing their employees’ health insurance, which would provide a disincentive for companies to insure their workers. Instead there would be a “free market” of health insurance options, allowing individuals buy directly from insurance companies, with the help of a tax break. Democrats criticize this market-based solution because of the expensive rates it would create for the sick and the elderly.

Barack Obama favors offering Americans a government health care option similar to the one currently offered to federal employees. He would allow employer-based health care to continue while giving Americans the choice of taking the affordable government-based option. Critics of the Obama plan from the right claim that it would either exacerbate our federal deficit or exponentially raise taxes, while opponents from the left say it will fail to universally insure all Americans because it does not include a mandate.

Unlike issues such as foreign policy, where a president has more prerogative power, the next President will be subject to the will of Congress in turning their health care ideas from proposals to law. Most analysts predict that the House of Representatives and Senate will remain under Democratic control after the upcoming election. For a preview of how Congress may respond to Obama’s or McCain’s health care proposals, check out Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s views on health care.

Health08.org, created by the Kaiser Family Foundation, is a resource for delving further into the details of each candidate’s health care plan. Along with expert analysis, the site offers links to all of the major speeches, advertisements and interviews that the candidates have given related to their health care proposals.

For more information on health care read findingDulcinea's U.S. Health Care Web Guide.