McCain, Obama tell tale of 2 health plans

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Both John McCain and Barack Obama advocate changes for the U.S. healthcare system, but differ on how they would achieve change dramatically.

Republican presidential hopeful McCain has proposed a platform which he said he would remove the tax preference for employer-supplied health benefits and offer consumers $5,000 tax credits that would be applied toward any health plan they choose anywhere in the country, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Obama, the Democratic nominee, said he would provide affordable, accessible healthcare for all Americans. Elements of his plan include expanding government insurance programs and subsidies, requiring employers to offer coverage or be penalized if they don't and barring insurance companies from rejecting anyone or raising premiums if they are sick, the Post said

McCain has conceded his plan would freeze out some people with serious medical problems looking for insurance on their own. To counter that possibility, he would create a guaranteed access plan, a federal effort to share the cost of states' high-risk insurance pools and broaden their reach, the Post said.

Obama would create a national health insurance exchange to help people to find and compare private insurance policies on their own.