A recent Associated Press story projects that health care costs will double in the next 9 years from $2.1 trillion to $4.3 trillion, costing an estimated $13,101 per person.  The big question on everyone's mind is which Presidential candidate (who has an actual chance of being elected) has the best plan to deal with the health care crisis facing Americans in the coming decade?

To assist you in navigating through this complex issue, OhMyGov! has provided the following health care proposal analysis of the leading Presidential Candidates.  First, we present the highlights by party and candidate. 

Attached to this post, you will find a five page, comprehensive analysis for those truly looking to dig through the details.

General (Republican) Proposal

• Oppose mandated universal health care coverage
• Change tax codes to increase health care access for low-income individuals/families
• Promote Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
• Emphasis on health insurance portability
• Promote preventive services and chronic disease management

• Opposes mandates for coverage
  
• Remove the favorable tax treatment of employer-sponsored insurance and provide a tax credit to all individuals and families to increase incentives for insurance coverage
• Promote insurance competition
  
• Contain costs through payment changes to providers, medical malpractice reform and other measures
  
• Encourage generic drugs and re-importation of drugs
• No reimbursement for preventable medical errors for Medicare
• Promote telemedicine and clinics in rural and underserved areas
• Provide a tax credit of $2,500 (individuals) and $5,000 (families) to all individuals and families for the purchase of insurance
• Require any state receiving Medicaid to develop a financial “risk adjustment” bonus for high-cost and low-income families to supplement tax credits and Medicaid funds
  

General (Democratic) Proposal

• Support universal health care coverage
• Employer must provide coverage
  
• Expand existing "public programs" such as Medicaid and SCHIP
• Create a new public plan to increase access
• Eliminate discrimination in purchasing health insurance (gender, age, occupation, or pre-existing health conditions)
• Increase provider transparency (costs, outcomes, and quality)
• Income-related tax subsidies: no tax cuts for those with incomes over $250,000.
• Require insurers to limit the percentage of non-patient care costs of their premiums (e.g., administrative costs)
• Permit prescription drug negotiation for Federal programs; Promote generic drugs
• Promote preventive services and chronic disease management
• Investment in electronic health records

Specific (Clinton) Proposal

• Every American required to have coverage, with income-related tax subsidies available to make coverage affordable
• Private and public plan options would be available to individuals through a new Health Choices Menu operated through the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)
• Coverage through employers and public programs like Medicare Continues
• Large employers must provide an employee plan or contribute to the cost of coverage
• Most small employers are not required to offer or contribute to coverage costs but are provided incentives to do so
  
• Establish an independent "Best Practice Institute" - empower consumers with provider/treatment choice information
• Fund improvement of web-based tools to provide information to consumers
• Provides refundable tax credit to help working families pay for coverage.  The value of the credit would be set to ensure that premiums could not exceed a fixed percentage of family income, while maintaining price consciousness among consumers.
  

Specific (Obama) Proposal

• All children required to have health insurance
• Requires employers to offer “meaningful” coverage or contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the public plan
  
• Medical malpractice reform
• Support an independent institute to guide comparative effectiveness reviews
• Create a new public plan and expand Medicaid and SCHIP
• Create the National Health Insurance Exchange through which small businesses and individuals without access to other public programs or employer-based coverage could enroll in the new public plan or in approved private plans
• Make federal income-related subsidies available to help individuals buy the new public plan or other qualified insurance.