Health insurance for most nonelderly Americans is purchased with funds from three sources: (1) an employer contribution, (2) an employee contribution and (3) a government tax subsidy.  The McCain health plan is based on the idea that the first two contributions should be determined by individual choice and competition in the marketplace.  The government's contribution, however, would be the same for everyone: $2,500 for every adult and $5,000 for every family. 

Continue reading »

Barack Obama rarely gives a speech these days without mentioning "universal coverage." Yet, in contrast to Hillary Clinton, Obama has no mandates (other than for children).   Instead, he would rely on incentives.  Yet the incentives in the Obama plan are perverse.  Based on reasonable assumptions, the number of uninsured would rise, not fall, under the Obama plan-even as taxes rise, regulations proliferate and the bureaucracy expands.

Continue reading »