by Jennifer Gray
Staff Writer

High-quality, affordable health care is a priority in this presidential election, and each candidate’s blood pressure is rising as they debate who has the best plan to reduce costs and raise the quality of our country’s health care system.

The Democrats
Now that John Edwards has pulled out of the Democratic race, it’s easier to sort out the similarities and differences in the two remaining contenders’ health care plans.

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would create a national health insurance program that offers a choice between public and private benefit plans–the latter being similar to packages offered to Congress through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).

Insurers would be required to provide coverage regardless of illness or pre-existing conditions, as well as report their data to ensure quality. Both plans require businesses to offer private health insurance or pay into the federal program. (Note that neither of these plans is considered a “single- payer” system.)

Along with creating new private and public programs, Clinton and Obama would overhaul Medicare, a federal program that covers health care for senior citizens and the disabled, and strengthen public health awareness and disease prevention. They would fund this system by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000.

However, while Clinton proposes a mandate requiring all Americans to have health insurance, Obama does not. (He does support a mandate for children, however, which would continue under their parents’ plans until age 25.)

Both plans are cost-effective and would strive to give all Americans an affordable, more transparent health care system. The big difference is the mandate: while Clinton would require all Americans pay into and receive benefits from her health care system, Obama would allow citizens to opt out, but pay a higher fee if they buy into the plan only when they get sick.

The Republicans
The Republican candidates (excluding Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race on February 7) are also concerned about healthcare, but oppose a federally mandated system.

Both John McCain and Mike Huckabee would encourage private insurance companies to further compete; McCain would allow insurance companies to cover individuals nationally (as opposed to our current state-to-state coverage) to create a more competitive market and lower rates, and Huckabee promotes health plans that continue from job to job without a lapse in coverage.

Both Republican candidates would focus on consumer-based healthcare that is grounded in public health awareness and personal responsibility, and would create income-based tax deductions to facilitate that responsibility. They support malpractice reform, expansion of health savings accounts, and improvements in electronic record-keeping.

McCain and Huckabee may have similar plans, but according to their websites, their attitudes are very different. While Huckabee is focused on a “consumer-based system” that lowers costs for businesses and allows for more consumer control, McCain is more interested in a competitive system that creates a “national market” for healthcare. For those who consider the intention as well as the method, that could make a big difference.