Newspapers Examine Health Care Proposals of Major Presidential Candidates

Several newspapers recently examined the health care proposals of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). Summaries appear below.

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution : The Journal-Constitution on Sunday highlighted the Obama and McCain health care proposals in the words of the candidates. In addition, the Journal-Constitution examined the details of the proposals (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/28). According to the Journal-Constitution, although critics have categorized the Obama proposal as "socialized medicine," McCain has, "by far, the most radical plan" to reform the U.S. health care system (King, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/28).
  
  
• Des Moines Register: The Register on Monday examined the major problems with the U.S. health care system -- increased costs and the uninsured -- and how Obama and McCain would address those issues. The Register also examined the different positions of the candidates on efforts to reform the U.S. health care system (Leys, Des Moines Register, 9/29).
  
  
• Philadelphia Inquirer: The Inquirer on Sunday examined the different positions of the candidates on efforts to reform the U.S. health care system. According to the Inquirer, "Obama wants more people to have health insurance," and "McCain wants to make insurance more affordable." The Inquirer also examined the importance of health care as an issue in the presidential election (Burling, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/28).
  
  
• Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire": The Journal's "Washington Wire" on Sunday examined the effect that the McCain health care proposal would have on the U.S. tax code. The proposal would replace an income tax break for employees who receive health insurance from employers with a refundable tax credit of as much as $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families who purchase private coverage through their employers or the individual market. According to the Journal, "At some point, the McCain campaign decided that health benefits should remain exempt from payroll taxes," which would preserve "an incentive to provide health insurance on the job," but at a budgetary price. McCain's policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said McCain's intention had always been to maintain the payroll tax exemption, and that the tax change would be paid for with changes to Medicare and other health care spending cuts (Meckler, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 9/28).
  

Editorial
The current economic downturn has "crowded out other pressing issues confronting the country and awaiting the next president," such as health care, an Austin American-Statesman editorial states. According to the editorial, the "next fiscal disaster might be triggered by a failure to address and resolve huge problems in the nation's health care system," and the "next president can't afford to ignore the symptoms of a sickly system," which currently is "running a high fever."

The Obama health care proposal "comes closest to confronting the crisis head-on," and the "risks of McCain's plan outweigh the benefits because it relies heavily on the marketplace, competition and loosening regulations," according to the editorial. The editorial adds, "Neither McCain nor Obama, however, answer the most basic question: how to pay for it."

The editorial states, "With just more than a month before the Nov. 4 election, McCain and Obama need to tell Americans how they intend to arrest another crisis that is threatening the health and wealth of the nation" (Austin American-Statesman, 9/28).

Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Monday reported on a provision of McCain's health plan that would establish high-risk pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 9/29).