Meet the Joneses Part II: Health Care

Aug. 26, 2008 — -- For part two of the series "Meet the Joneses," "Good Morning America" searched for an average American family to see how it deals with health care and what it looks for from both candidates as Election Day nears.

Lourdes and Bill Jones are working parents raising three children in California.

"We're busy with the kids and doing -- playing sports, living a normal life," Lourdes Jones told "GMA."

They both have an average commute to work -- 25 minutes.

They even exercise the average amount every day -- 28 minutes.

For this election, the Jones family's top concern is health care. Their young daughter has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Her treatment costs $160 per month, but insurance does not cover it.

"We realized with the HMO, it's kind of hard to get the support we needed," Lourdes Jones said. "We have to pay out of pocket."

As a result, the Joneses have had to cut back.

"We're trying to find solutions -- to help her and to eventually, you know, be less stressful for her and also our family as a whole," Bill Lourdes said.

They are also looking to presumed presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain to help alleviate the burden through improved health care plans.

Obama's plan is said to include mandatory coverage for children like the Jones'.

Obama's campaign also told "GMA" that its candidate's plan would also allow the Joneses the option of purchasing different insurance through its proposed National Health Exchange.

"The Obama plan doesn't take away any choices, but the main way it helps is by directly reducing the cost of care to get their premiums down," Austan Goolsbee, senior economic adviser to the Obama campaign, told "GMA."

To reduce the cost, the Obama camp says the plan would eliminate "waste" and improve the effectiveness of the health care system.