4 Newspapers Look at Obama/McCain Health Care Plans

By: Dexter Hill The state of the economy may be a hot topic in recent news, but it?s not the only one this election season. Sevdral top newspapers in recent days around the country have taken a closer look at the ongoing health care debate between presidential hopefuls McCain and Obama. Reporters and columnists weighed-in today and Sunday.

The Tampa Tribune is not a fan of either presidential candidate?s proposal, according to an editorial today. It projected that each would incur ?more costs and unpleasant side effects than either candidate predicts.? It faulted the McCain plan for creating an ?every-family-for-itself? situation in which employers would find less incentive to sponsor group plans. The Tribune called Obama?s solution ?Leaning on Uncle Sam,? and warned that the healthy will have to foot the bill for insuring those with pre-existing medical conditions.

The Des Moines Register pointed out in a news story today that, with the state of the economy, ?both parties could lose their zeal to retool the health care system.? With McCain?s plan, the Register found that it ?would make it easier for Americans to switch jobs without worrying that they would lose their coverage,? though coverage could be harder to come by for the elderly. Critics of Obama?s plan, according to the newspaper, claimed that, though parents will be required to insure their children, ?healthy young adults might decline to sign up for insurance, figuring they don't need it.? This would mean some Americans insured at a higher cost.

According to Mike King?s column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday, McCain has, "by far, the most radical plan" to reform the U.S. health care system. He claimed that, though the Obama plan has its shortcomings, the McCain proposal could have emergency rooms across the country overflowing. ?If you like what free-market conservatives have done for the banking and finance industry, you?ll love what they have in mind for health insurance,? the Journal-Constitution warned.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, in a news story Sunday, estimated the Obama plan to cost $65 billon each year. As a positive, the proposal ?would make it easier for individuals and small employers to buy insurance through bigger groups.? Considering the McCain policy, the paper noted that insurance policies ?could be sold across state lines.? But the price of the McCain proposal remains undisclosed.