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How Obama's and McCain's Health Plans Affect You

Dr. Tim Johnson Breaks Down the Two Plans

Obama's plan would offer someone like Paul individual plans through a national health-care exchange, which will offer a certain number of pre-vetted plans. It's similar to what federal employees, including both candidates, are on.

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"Good Morning America" medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson explains Barack Obama's and John McCain's health care plans.

The point of the health-care exchange would be to make it easier to choose what's right for you. A lot would depend on what you can afford and neither candidate has clarified what subsidies would be provided.

Obama hasn't given any details yet on how he'd set that up. Administrative costs typically add 30 percent to the price of your plan. You save on those when you get them through your employer. So this health exchange would be designed to save you that money. So far, Obama has said he'd eliminate tax cuts on the wealthy to pay for health care, so all we can presume at this point is that the money would come from there.

Related

Tackling Prescription Drug Costs

Jan Stevens, 58, from Anaheim, Calif., pays $450 a month on average in prescription drug co-pays for eight chronic illnesses — the most serious of which is a chronic bladder disease. She wants to know which plan will go further toward helping pay for those medications.

Typically, employer-based plans do a better job of providing discounts because they can negotiate a better bargain on medical costs, meaning Obama's plan might be more appropriate.

That's not to say some individual plans won't provide excellent drug coverage, but they'll cost you plenty up front.

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