Where They Stand: Health Care

"People who are now buying very expensive insurance on the individual market are attracted to this, because they are finally getting a tax break, and they are getting an opportunity for their employers or themselves to put some money aside for health eventualities that we all run into," said Joseph Antos of the American Enterprise Institute, another think tank in Washington.

Bush campaign officials say consumers will be more savvy and aware of costs if they're in charge of their own health expenses. That, they argue, will reduce the total bill America pays for health care.

But critics worry the healthiest, wealthiest Americans will be more likely to take advantage of the tax breaks and the system would leave poorer patients behind.

And health savings accounts are a relatively new phenomenon, so it's difficult to measure how much impact they could have. Researchers at the RAND Corp. estimated the use of such accounts by the nonelderly might change health spending overall by 1 percent or 2 percent — not a very big number.

Kerry's Plan

Kerry's health care proposals are less radical in theory. They are more extensive, though still not a total overhaul of the current system.

The Democratic presidential candidate would create a voluntary program in which businesses would offer health coverage for their employees in exchange for having the federal government pick up most of the tab for catastrophic cases. He would also give tax credits to small businesses to help them insure workers.

In an effort to cover more Americans, Kerry would also offer incentives to the states to expand programs for low-income families and children.

The Kerry plan would likely reduce the premiums many Americans pay for health insurance.